Case Closed: The Mystery of One Piece
by Blade of Hellfire
Summary: After following a Black Organization member, Conan finds himself trapped on Marineford island, with the Admirals threatening everything close to him.  In exchange for himself and his friends, they demand one thing: find One Piece!
1. Arrival Time

**Hey Guys! Haven't written in awhile. But I got inspired recently, so I'm happy! Anyways, I read a volume of One Piece and Case Closed in the same day, and got this idea in my head. I hope you like it! Also, I don't own anything with One Piece or Case Closed, enjoy! **

Jimmy Kudo stood out on the deck of the navy ship, anxious to get to this Marineford Island. He had no idea where he was, or what the hell he was supposed to do, he just knew that this wasn't a good situation. He looked over his shoulder at the anxious soldiers that were watching his every move, and had the chain that connected to his shackled wrists that were bounded behind his back. Many thoughts raced through the young detective's head: who were these people? Were they connected to the Black Organization? Where was he? How did he get here? Did they know who he was. Escape was meaningless when you were just going to drift out at sea aimlessly, especially when you had no idea where you were to begin with. Turning to the guard, Jimmy Kudo, known as Conan Edogawa spoke. "Excuse me, mister?"

"What?" The man replied.

"Where are we going?" Conan asked as childishly as possible. Hopefully, his identity was still concealed.

"We told you, you're going to Marineford, that's all you need to know." The man's partner said gruffly. Conan pouted and turned back to the ocean, from what he could tell he was on some sort of military vessel, but he strangely couldn't recognize it. This only made him more anxious. He inwardly cursed himself, how the hell could he have allowed himself to get caught like this? He was chasing down a Black Organization member, and he suddenly found himself unconscious from a tranquilizer dart. What happened? Were Rachel and the others okay? His thoughts stopped when the ship suddenly docked. The guard motioned Conan forward. "Come." The detective followed obediently; luckily he still had a few gadgets on him, which he found strange. Why would the Black Organization give him the privilege of allowing him tools? He looked around his surroundings, rather astonished. It looked like an entire Naval base on a huge island. It would've been something to marvel at if not for his current situation. Noticing that the main building had a Japanese style to it, he wondered if he was in the Pacific somewhere, but his mind quickly changed once they made him actually enter the building. He was surrounded with the Japanese language, but none of the familiar customs and items he was used to, it was a general white hallway with golden sashes hanging from the walls. They had portraits of past commanders of the Navy, as well as various award cases to honor themselves upon their accomplishments.

Noticing that they were going into an elevator, Conan paid attention to how many floors were actually in this place. He glared, 30 floors; great. Not to mention the place was massive, it'd have various hallways and passages he'd have to memorize. His eyes widened slightly when he noticed they stopped on the top floor; they were introducing him to their commander. They were awfully confident. Walking up to an office, one of the guards knocked. "Fleet Admiral Sengoku-sama! We have brought the boy!"

"Good. Bring him in." Conan heard the voice answer. He suddenly felt himself lifted and harshly thrown into the room. Conan quickly sat up and took in his surroundings. He was surrounded by approximately six people, excluding the guards. All were freakishly tall and seemed to be in high standing in the facility. Glancing at the desk, he saw a man in his fifties, with a black afro, glasses, and a long, braided, Chinese beard. Judging by the badges he had, Conan guessed he was in charge. "Ah. Conan Edogawa, pleasure to meet you. Or should I say, Jimmy Kudo?"

"…Who are you?" Deciding that playing dumb was obviously useless here. "You're with the Black Organization, aren't you? What is this place?" Conan demanded with flared eyes.

"Calm down." Sengoku raised a hand. "Though it's true we have ties with the Black Organization, we aren't with them as allies, for they do not uphold our standards of justice." Seeing the boy's confusion, the Admiral continued. "Let me put it this way, we wish for your service, and in exchange, your life and secret will remain safe. As well as returning home to your beloved Rachel Moore, and your friends. They simply wanted us to kill you." Sengoku reasoned as Conan sat there shocked, and looked to the floor and clenched his fists and teeth.

"What do you want?" Knowing he had to admit defeat for now.

"Let's introduce ourselves first, shall we? After all, you need to know who's in charge of you. Excluding a friend of mine, the highest officials in the Navy are in this office. I am Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I am in charge of the Navy. Those two men on the couch are two of the four admirals. The one on your left is Kizaru, the one you're right is Akainu, and the man laying on the other couch is Admiral Aokiji. The three Vice Admirals in here are, Onigumo, Tsuru, and Strawberry." Strawberry? Conan knew it most likely was a code name. "These people will be watching over you and supervising your work, know that even if you do manage to escape from us, you have no way of finding your way home." The look on the boy's face showed his disbelief. "I'm afraid I can't say much, but you're on an island, surrounded by waters that can claim you in less than a minute, in enemy territory, and you haven't the slightest idea of where you are. You should also note that the Black Organization will be contacted if you show disobedience, in which case, your friends and family will start disappearing. One by one."

"You bastard!" Conan yelled, only to be harshly kicked in the stomach. He flinched and looked up to a man in a baseball cap, his name mentioned was Akainu.

"Mind your manners." He said sternly and looked down at Conan. "You're in a different world now kid, literally."

"…What?" Conan knew he couldn't have heard right.

"That's another reason why it's impossible for you to escape." Sengoku interrupted. "There's nowhere to escape to. You're in our world now, Mr. Kudo. Your stay here can either be pleasant or horrific, the choice is entirely up to you. As I said, no one outside this room knows your identity, or that you're even here. Your secrets are safe with us, so long as ours are with you." Sengoku pointedly glared at the stiff boy. "Cooperate, and you will be back with your friends and family in no time, no harm will come to them, and you can pretend this never even happened. So, how about it, Mr. Kudo? Will you cooperate with us?"

Conan glared but nodded reluctantly. "What do I have to do?"

"I understand that you're a famous detective in your universe, Mr. Kudo." Sengoku said, getting a massive file out from his desk. "Able to solve any case with in the blink of an eye, even being able to tell who the culprit is by just looking at the crime scene, very impressive. The Black Organization contacted us, telling us about your talents. In exchange for some resources, we asked for your service. We need you to solve a mystery. A simple one, compared to every other case you've seen, I'm sure."

"What's the mystery?" Conan asked carefully.

"I want you to locate One Piece- the lost treasure of Gol. D. Roger." Sengoku smiled. The vicious game had begun.


	2. Ground Rules

**Okay, chapter 2's up to get the ball rolling! The first few chapters will be a little slow, but for Case Closed, it's all about build up. Now, for the explanation of the Grand Line, I got lazy and copy pasted Wikipedia's article on the Grand Line when Tsuru explains to Conan what the Grand Line is. By Chapter four, it'll start getting good. Feel free to pitch ideas or suggestions you have for the story, thanks! I don't own One Piece or Case Closed, I hope you people enjoy!  
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Conan looked at the man as if he lost his mind. "I'm not a treasure hunter, you've got the wrong idea about me." He received another harsh kick from Akainu.

"Akainu, don't be so harsh." Sengoku scolded and smiled maliciously down at the boy. "He's obviously just being modest. He's had a long day, Tsuru." The old woman looked up. "Show the boy to his room, won't you?" The woman nodded wordlessly, and picked up the chain that was attached to Conan's shackles. Conan coughed a little blood, and followed the elder out, glaring at the admirals as he did.

It was silent for awhile, until Tsuru spoke up. "I'm sorry, dear. You shouldn't have to go through this."

"I've heard that one, before lady." The detective growled and his face went to the floor. "So, is it true, am I really in a different world than my own?" He asked in a slightly shaky voice.

"Yes. You are." Tsuru said evenly.

"How the hell did I get here, and more importantly, how does the Navy of this world know a terrorist organization from my world?" Conan looked up from the ground and stared harshly at the back of the woman's head.

Tsuru didn't flinch, but she didn't turn to him either. "They first made contact with us. We're not sure how or what methods they used, but they were trying to establish communication without world, and their signals got crossed with ours, hence, we started talking. I don't like this Black Organization, you don't need to tell me they're terrorists, then again, we're not much different to you, are we? Kidnapping you, out of your world, holding your loved ones hostage, forcing you to solve a mystery, you have no interest in; it sickens me." She sighed. "The Navy is on the verge of falling, and that's why those idiots are so desperate. They need you to find One Piece, so the balance of power will completely shift to us."

"Balance of power?" Conan raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. In this world, there are three main groups that run the world: the Navy, the World Government, and of course, the Pirates." Tsuru explained.

"Pirates?" This obviously wasn't a very modern universe.

"Yes. The pirates have been winning many battles lately, and the next generation of pirates are growing fast with power. That's why, we're desperate." The woman said solemnly.

"How was a deal reached between the Navy and the Black Organization? And what is this One Piece?" Conan asked.

"A simple deal was reached between us and the Black Organization: in return for your help, we give them devil fruits." She said.

"Devil fruits?" Conan was flat out lost now.

"Yes. In our world, there are some fruits that come out of the sea that give you powers, powers that you only read about in stories. In exchange for this power, you lose your ability to swim." She stopped him, and placed a hand in front of Conan. The boy suddenly felt himself get flattened, but his bones didn't crack, and felt flexible, almost as if he were fabric. A second later, he returned to normal. Falling on his butt, he turned fearfully toward the woman. "Do you believe me now?" Conan nodded, not wanting to go through that again. "In this world, there's literally a devil fruit for anything. If you eat one, you receive a power, but you forever lose your ability to swim."

"Isn't that a problem if you're a pirate or in the Navy?" Conan asked confused.

"Everyone makes due. Come." Tsuru motioned him to follow.

"What about this One Piece? What is it?" The detactive decided to roll back to a topic that at least made sense to him.

"As they said, it's a treasure, but not just any treasure…Gol D. Roger's treasure." Tsuru responded.

"Gol. D. Roger?"

"Yes, the former King of the Pirates." She nodded. "He was executed roughly twenty years ago."

"Oh. So whoever finds the treasure gets all the power. So the Navy wants the treasure for the symbolic principles of the matter." The young detective nodded, but then thought of something. "Wait a minute, if it's just about the economic status of the Navy, wouldn't any treasure or amount of money due? Why does it have to be this treasure? Just put together a fake treasure and call it 'One Piece'."

The old woman turned to him sadly. "It's not that simple, it's more than a treasure. It's a symbol to all sides of the spectrum. When the pirate king died, the World Government demanded he give up all his fortune to them and the Navy to split equally, but before the gallows became his stoop, he announced that his fortune was for anyone to take, but they'd have to find it first. 'I left everything I own, in 'One Piece'. That declaration started the Golden era of the pirate age, pirates, marines, and everyone like started traveling to the Grand Line, searching for One Piece."

"So in other news, whoever takes One Piece, literally takes all." Conan nodded in understanding. Now feeling the full weight of the woman's explanation. "What's the Grand Line?"

"The Grand Line is the ocean current that runs from north-west to south-east ends of the world, crossing perpendicular to the Red Line. It is commonly referred to those in the 4 Blue Seas as "the Pirate Graveyard." The Red Line is a vast continent that circles the globe from north-east to south-west. These two lines divide the two oceans of the world into four seas or Blues: North Blue, East Blue, West Blue, and South Blue. This stretch of ocean is said to be the most dangerous place in the world, and is sometimes referred to as the Pirates' Graveyard because of this reputation. Most believe that it is impossible to safely leave the Grand Line save at its beginning and end; however, the World Government regularly sends ships across the Calm Belts by coating their hulls with seastone - this renders them invisible to the Sea Kings. " She explained fully.

"That's quite an explanation." Conan replied, quite impressed. 'So the Grand Line's the equator, then. And the 'Red Line' must be the Prime Meridian'. That was useful geographical knowledge; which was why he was suspicious. "Why tell me this?"

"So you have an idea of where the treasure might be. Gol. D. Roger and his crew were the only ones to ever successfully scale the whole Grand Line, at the last island, Raftel, is supposedly where he hid his treasure. As you suspect, this world's land is completely made up of islands, not large continents that your world is so fond of. The islands on the Grand Line are supposedly the most dangerous, with Raftel being its most dangerous." Tsuru frowned at the implied accusation.

Conan stopped short and glared angrily. "If you know where it is, then why the hell do you need me for?"

"It is only a widely-accepted theory. No one's made it to Raftel, or scaled past the New World, the second half of the Grand Line. No one actually knows if it's there or not." She turned to face him. "We need your deduction skills to confirm if it's there or not."

"What if I'm wrong?" Conan growled.

"Then the consequences will be met. Your loved ones won't be harmed, however…you have no freedom until the treasure is found. You will most likely be beaten as punishment, so I wouldn't recommend lying about it." She sighed and turned to continue walking. After ten minutes, they finally found an iron doorway. Opening it, Conan sighed realizing it lead to some prison quarters, it was to be expected really, but he could tell he was going to freeze tonight. He followed the woman and stopped short at an empty cell. He walked in and Tsuru undid his cuffs. "You will be awoken at 01800 hours, and will be given breakfast. Then you will do five hours of research, and have an hour lunch break. You will then be given the option of mid-day nap, exercise, or guided tour around Marineford, for two hours. You may divide the hours for separate activites if you wish. Then you will have four hours to do more research, and then dinner will be served 1800 hours sharp. You will then be allowed to bathe for one hour, you will have your own bathing quarters for security reasons. Then you will be given the option of more research or you may star gaze in the observatory. There will be armed guards with you at all times with the obvious exception of the restroom. No one else is down here, but you. So please, behave yourself and keep your cell clean. You will meet your guards tomorrow. Understood?"

"Yes ma'm." The boy nodded.

"Good. Try to get some sleep, it isn't long until day time." Tsuru left abruptly after that, leaving the detective to himself.

Conan stared after her and looked around his cell after she left. There were no windows, the light switches were outside his cell, he had an old cot and a fairly thick blanket, and luckily, a toilet with a curtain to pull around him in the corner. It was nice compared to what he was expecting. Also, the room was fairly warm, making him realize it was ventilated. They must want him to sleep comfortably so he could keep his focus. He thought about what Tsuru said, not the words, but the explanation about the Grand Line. It was awfully detailed, almost as if she was giving him a general profile of the world's geography. And then he realized something, Tsuru wanted him to escape, but why? There were a million reason for it: did she feel bad? Was she scared of what would happen if he succeeded? Was there something she wasn't telling her superiors? Either way, he knew she was his temporary ally in this fiasco, which gave him some relief, but not much. And what about the Black Organization? He needed to find out the details behind the deal the Navy in this world made with them, and also just how much these people knew about him.

"Might as well, sleep. Maybe I'll wake up from this nightmare." Grumbled the detective, throwing himself into the cot. He'd figure this out, but he'd need to do it on their terms; which sadly, would have to do for now.


	3. Day One

**Hey guys! Updating another chapter, because I really want to start the action! I've decided to stick with calling him Conan instead of switching off the names between Conan and Jimmy/Shinichi. It's just easier that way. To my first review, thank you so much for the review and suggestion! The gears are still turning in my head for this story, and I'll definitely consider it. I haven't fully decided on what to do in the next chapter yet, to either have him stay in Marineford, or escape. Either way, he meets Ace. And sorry if Coby and Helemppo are a bit out of character, they don't appear much in the anime or manga, so I tried my best. Thanks a bunch and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed**

"Excuse me, Mr. Edogawa?" Conan woke with a start to a voice. Glancing at the entrance of the cell, he saw two fairly young looking soldiers. One had an x-shaped scar above his right eye, had pink hair, tall, thin, and seemed to be about seventeen. The other one was blond, thin tall, had an odd assortment of colors for a navy officer compared to his partner, and had a black sun glass band that hid his eyes, he looked meaner and older of the two. "It's 01600 hours; we've come to get you for breakfast. Conan sighed, and got up and went to the cell. The two men entered and cuffed him, and then lead him out into the normal hallway of the Naval base. "My name is Coby, and this is my friend, Helmeppo, he and I will be your guards during your stay here."

"Coby, don't be too friendly with the prisoner." Conan guessed right, the blond one was meaner. The blond man glared down at the young detective. "Here are the rules: you get uncuffed to eat, do research, bathe, and sleep. That's it. We're not your friends, or your baby sitters, you cross us, we punish you. Understand brat?"

Conan blinked, and then remembered what Sengoku said. No one knew who he was except for the people in that office, so these two probably thought he was some pirate prodigy or something. Conan made a mental note to ask what the cover up story about him was later. Nodding smartly, he replied. "Understood, sir."

"Good." Helmeppo grunted in approval. "Come. You're on a tight schedule, brat." Tugging at the chain, Conan followed behind the two marines. "Can't believe that Granny assigned us this. I mean, we're under Vice-Admiral Garp's command! We shouldn't have to do this shit!" Conan's ears perked at the mention of an old woman, it could be Tsuru.

"I know, but Vice-Admiral Tsuru specifically asked Vice-Admiral Garp for us, this is a real honor for us, yah know; to be trusted with something like this." Coby reasoned. Conan's suspicions were confirmed, Tsuru asked for guards she trusted not to hurt him, but the question was, how much did she tell them?

Helmeppo snorted and turned abruptly to Conan, making the young detective jump slightly. "What are you staring at boy?"

"N-Nothing!" Conan quickly replied. "It's just, you guys were talking about me, and I was wondering what the others were saying about me?" He smiled innocently.

"Why does that matter?" The strict guard raised a brow.

"I'm a kid. Aren't I allowed to be curious when someone talks about me? After all, you get curious when people talk about you, don't you?" Conan couldn't help but smirk a little. Helmeppo stopped short, causing Coby and Conan to stop as well.

He glared and raised his hand. "Why you…" He brought his hand down, but Coby stopped him at the last second.

"Helmeppo! Control yourself!" Coby glared shoving Helmeppo's arm back a little. "It's as Tsuru said; this boy was raised by terrorist pirates specifically plotting to destroy the Navy. It's not the boy's fault he has no manners, and that's why we have to help him. As his guards, it's our duty to start his recovery into normal life." Coby knelt down and gave a sad look to Conan, petting his head slightly. It annoyed the little boy, but the detective was more surprised by the pink-haired boy's kindness. "Don't worry. You're safe now, those pirates won't hurt you anymore." Coby smiled and stood back up. "Helmeppo's just an unfriendly person, it takes him awhile to warm up to people, so don't worry, he'll get used to you."

"Thanks…Mr. Coby." Conan nodded tamely.

"Good." Coby smiled and turned back around as did his partner. "Let's get to breakfast, you're probably hungry." Helmeppo grumbled something inaudible, and the three started walking again, introducing the life of the Navy to Conan Edogawa.

**At Breakfast**

If there was one thing Conan could count on here, it was good food. The breakfast they served him was incredible! Scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon; he was used to having a glass of milk and cereal on account of: he couldn't cook himself, Rachel was too busy to shop most of the time, and a starving stray dog wouldn't eat Mr. Moore's cooking. The detective knew he most likely was given special treatment because they wanted his brain in proper working order, so he had to be careful. He noticed the Coby and Helmeppo were eating with him too, but passed it off as the Navy reassuring him that they weren't going to poison his food until he was no longer useful to them.

"So." Conan turned to Helmeppo. "We heard that you were kidnapped from Fishman island because of your deduction skills, the pirates used you to find treasure and crap, right?"

"Helmeppo!" Coby kicked him under the table harshly. "Don'y be so rude! He's just a kid! Lighten up!" The pink-haired boy smiled politely. "I'm sorry about him, it's just…you came on rather short notice, and we heard a pretty gruesome story from Vice-Admiral Tsuru, so we've been curious to ask about your circumstances for awhile. Is that all right?"

"I guess…" The detective boy nodded. "What do you want to know?" This was his best chance at getting Tsuru's story about him, as well as determining Tsuru and these two to be allies or not.

"First of all…is it true, a pirate crew slaughtered your whole family to get you? It must've been awful." Coby frowned sadly.

"…Yeah…they did." Conan looked down to hide his face. His expression would give away too much, and he needed to act the part of a quivering child anyways. "I don't remember why, though."

"As I asked. It was because you could figure out codes and riddles that would normally be impossible, right? Vice-Admiral Tsuru said you were some history or deduction prodigy or something, The pirates kidnapped you, because the Mayor of your village sold you out or something like that." Helmeppo grunted suspiciously.

"Ah." The fake-child clenched his fists to act as if he was angry. "He hated my family due to their…unconventional ways of living." Conan didn't know what Tsuru said, so he had to be careful what he said here.

"We heard your family contradicted the islands predominant religious beliefs, and that Mayor was starting to ose face because of that. Your family was very brave." Coby smiled reassuringly.

"If he's so good, then why was he at the sight of the attack?" Helmeppo demanded. "It was where Fire-Fist Ace and that Blackbeard-bastard fought!"

'Blackbeard?' Conan blinked at the familiar pirate name, so the infamous pirate captain was in this world too. Then what time period was this compared to his world?

"Helmeppo, that's enough!" Coby sighed. "We'd like to know that, actually. Vice-Admiral Tsuru said that after the fight between Fire-Fist Ace and Blackbeard, you were found drifting along the island's edge on a large piece of drift wood. The pirate crew that kidnapped you, had been wiped out because of the immense collateral damage from the fight. The whole island was destroyed in that fight, everyone in the island's vicinity died, how did you survive?"

Conan was starting to get a little freaked from what he was hearing. An island got destroyed from collateral damage? Just what kind of universe is this? Quickly making up a story, he replied. "…After I lead them to the island, the captain beat me and then threw me off the ship. I remember grabbing onto a piece of drift wood, and I passed out soon after."

"Checks out with Vice-Admiral Tsuru's story." Helmeppo went back to eating. Conan sweat-dropped. That's why he had been grilled? To see if he was telling the truth? But that also made Conan think. If they were questioning their orders, despite how little they showed it, that meant they didn't fully trust the situation they were in either. Which meant, neither did their superior…Garp-san, they said, right?

"Thank you for sharing with us, Conan-kun." Coby gave an approving smile and went back to eating as well. Conan went back to eating too, seeing as how he only had ten minutes left.

**Resaerch begins**

Conan was amazed by how big the facility was, it had taken them at least twenty minutes to walk to the library of the giant Naval base, and even after they arrived there, Conan was half-surprise they didn't shove illegal immigration families in here. The library was at least four stories tall, and had entire rows or book and journal entries…for only one topic. Yes- this entire library was a dedicated research archive to One Piece. 'No wonder they're giving me so much time to do research, it's going to take me a few days just memorize what the different sections are.' Conan thought, as his handcuffs were taken off. "We'll be waiting by the entryway." Coby pointed towards the door they used to enter. "Let us know if you need something, the librarian will get you the research materials you need. Good luck!"

"Don't waste our time, brat." Helmeppo snorted and followed Coby.

"Are you Edogawa-kun?" Conan jumped and turned to an attractive blonde woman in a blue tight-fitting uniform, and glasses. The boy nodded dumbly, blushing slightly. "My name is Trish Imora, right this way, please." She motioned towards the elevator, in which Conan followed. Going to the second floor, he followed her down the random aisles of books, until they reached a study-lounge area of the floor. There was a meeting table, and several chairs surrounding it. On the table, were rather tall stacks of books. Conan guessed, that was what he had to get started on. "Good luck on your research; by finding One Piece, you will be repenting for the sins you've been forced to commit. Relish the opportunity."

"Yes ma'm, thank you." Conan sat down. 'I wonder what she thinks I'm researching.' Conan knew that her eavesdropping was unlikely; places like this had harsh punishment for any form of insubordination. She most likely was just following her orders and nothing more, but it was also best to be careful as well. The boy sighed and picked up the first book, _The Autobiography of Gol D. Roger_. Frowning, Conan looked at the title of the second book: _Chronicles of Gol. D. Roger_. Deciding to see if his theory was right, he dug through the stack of books for any other titles that didn't have Gol. D. Roger. He sighed when he finally found a book that didn't have Roger's name, but this just made him frown more. _The Grand Line: How it became the Pirate's grave yard_, Conan raised a brow, from Tsuru's explanation, the Grand Line was just a natural geographic feature of this universe. Perhaps he put too much stock in the title.

Walking up to the librarian, he asked. "Do you have any books on the Grand Line, it's most popular routes, I mean?"

"I'm sorry, dear. But my orders were to make sure you used you study time to analyze those books on the table." Conan's eyes widened at what she said, and the woman's voice suddenly started to become poison. "If you don't finish by lunch, know that a course of discipline will be in place. Please follow the schedule of studies during your stay here. You are not permitted to research anything else or in any other order. Is that clear?"

"Crystal." Conan nodded, clenching his fists.

"Good." She ushered him back to his seat. "Please get started. The clock's ticking."

**Lunch**

Conan ate his sandwich silently while Coby and Helmeppo chatted. This was very disturbing, he knew that these people were desperate in going through all this trouble to kidnap him, but they were literally watching every move he made. They were even air-locking the research he could do, which made him extremely suspicious. They only allowed him to research Gol. D. Roger today, and they were only going to allow him to research the books given to him. This information was given to him on a schedule, and they most likely wanted him to make a chronological deduction about where One Piece was hidden and why. In other news, they already knew it wasn't on Raftel, they just had no idea where to look next. This wasn't just about finding a treasure, this was a race; someone was close to finding One Piece. From what he read, everything Tsuru had said about Roger was true. Being the first to Conquer the Grand Line, and consequently became the world's richest man through various treasure hunting excavations, he became King of the Pirates. He also had a lover named Portgas D. Rouge, who had died giving birth to their son, Portgas D. Ace; as he read in the archives he was given to read. He assumed that Roger's son was still alive, otherwise the report would've mentioned otherwise, but it didn't mention anything else about Roger's personal life. Which was strange, considering the amount of fame he had, perhaps pirates just liked their privacy.

"Hey Conan." The boy snapped his head, and realized he had finished eating and was staring at his plate. He turned to Coby, who looked a bit concerned. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. The research was just a bit overwhelming." The detective gave a reassugin smile. "Is lunch over already?" Noticing that the two marines were finished eating as well.

"Yeah." Helmeppo spoke up. "Take your pick: tour, exercise, nap."

After thinking about it, Conan picked. "Tour please."

"Fine. Let's go." Helmeppo and Coby stood up, and cuffed Conan. The detective concluded that if he was a trapped rat, he had to start learning the weak points of his cage.

**Tour**

After working with idiot police officers over the years in his detective work, Conan learned how to smile and nod to people when needed. He occasionally gave a fake-interested response when Coby or Helmeppo turned to him to make sure he was paying attention. But all the detective could see was a giant fortress with a bunch of little cracks. After being shown the docks, Conan had estimated how long it would take him to run from his cell down to the dock to snake onto a boat; approximately 20-30min if he didn't get caught. There had to be another way out, but it'd be suicide to go out into those waters without a hint of navigation on his side, so hitching a ride was his only option of escape. But even if he did escape, then what? How was he to get home? What would happen to Rachel and the others? He was certain these Navy-bastards were good to their threats.

"COBY! HELMEPPO!" Conan stopped short when the two marines halted, stood straight, and saluted.

"GOOD AFTERNOON GARP-TAICHO!" They said at the same time.

"At ease men, I'm out for a stroll myself." He grinned but frowned when he noticed the boy in chains. "Eh? Who are you?"

"Sir! That Conan Edogawa! Quarantined prisoner who is recovering from post traumatic stress disorder!" Coby answered quickly.

"PTSD victim? Why's he in chains?" Garp raised a brow.

"We were given orders to have this inmate under lock unless if he is to eat, research, exercise, sleep, and bathe. Due to his mental instability it is suspected that he might know of a terror plot setup by the now-dead Bare-Knuckle Pirates!" Helmeppo answered.

"Really?" Garp didn't buy it at all, Conan could tell. Garp walked past his two marines and knelt down to Conan's level, who was still put off by his massive height. In his world, pro-wrestler's weren't that big. "My name's Monkey D. Garp, kid. Vice-Admiral of Navy; I'll beat some sense into Sengoku for imprisoning a kid. Honestly, he takes rules way too seriously." Garp stood up and waved cheerfully to his men. "Well…I'm off. There's paper work to do, and I've got to hide." The three younger males sweat-dropped, not expecting anything else.

"Let's go. We don't have much time left." Conan nodded and followed Helmeppo and Coby. Hat was interesting, a Vice-Admiral knew nothing about this, yet he was the Fleet Admiral's friend? Very interesting indeed…

**Afternoon Research**

Conan glared at the materials in front of him. As he thought, there were no longer books on Gol. D. Roger available for him to research, now it was all about the Grand Line. Conan sighed; this was no way to solve a case. Shoving a bunch of facts in front of him, doesn't tell him anything except that you're disorganized. Not only were they pushing him to solve the case, they wanted to see how good his memory was too. They were keeping him on a straight and narrow line with no room to research anything else, Conan assumed there was a lot of dirt under the rug, it was all about finding it, though. He smirked, he had an idea.

**Dinner**

Even though he was pissed, Conan could get used to this luxury way of living. Lobster with clam chowder and asparagus for dinner! In his world, this would cost a fortune, if this was there way of bribery, then bring on the bacon!

**Bath time**

He was relieved he had privacy here.

**After Bath**

Being provided with pajamas by the Navy, Conan was almost done with his first day. "What would you like to do, Conan? Star-gaze or research?" Coby asked.

"Star gaze." Conan replied dryly. He read 16 books in the course of 8-9 hours, he needed a break.

"Come on then." Helmeppo grumpily lead them up to the observatory. From the stairway, Conan observed the actual size of Marineford, as well as its layout. He inwardly smirked, plans already forming in his mind of escape, he'd start tonight.

"They're beautiful, huh?" The detective looked to Coby who smiled happily at the stars. "That's one of the best things about the Navy, we keep things peaceful so everyone can look at the stars."

"You think so, huh?" Conan managed not to snort.

"I know so!" He smiled in affirmation, clenching a fist for emphasis.

"That's what the Nav'y about." Conan turned to Helemppo. "Maintaining order and 'Absolute Justice'.

'Absolute Justice?' Conan pondered, but then remembered something. When he first came here, there was a sign in the Fleet Admiral's office that said Absolute Justice! It's not just a phrase, that's their motto. The young detective narrowed his eyes, he just found a spec of Navy's dirt!


	4. Progress

**Hello! One thing everyone will complain about is how I don't describe how Conan figures out the case here, but I promise it'll be explained later. The story has the potential to go many different ways here, so if anyone has a request that they want to have happen in the story, please let me know! I'm open for ideas! I've got to warn you, one very violent part in this one, but I promise the scene's short. Anyways, thank you very much for grammer advice, but to be honest, I'm too lazy most of the time to do anything else but grammer and spell check. One more thing, Conan mentions Lupin the 3rd here, I saw the crossover movie and loved it! Thanks! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from One Piece or Case Closed  
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It had been a week since Conan arrived; he knew because he had requested a calendar during his stay. Keeping time was a classic way to stay sane, it gave you some sense of your surroundings. It had grown into a routine he had gotten used to. He never did extra research, but he enjoyed the exercise of the basketball court when Coby would be willing to play with him, but would normally take a nap. Then he would stargaze after a long day. From what he could tell, Coby and Helemppo were good people, but they had no idea what kind of people they were working for. After his first night, Conan used his watch to shoot the bars of cell to the point where it wasn't noticeable, but enough for his small form to slip out. He had to time it fairly well,; between dodging the guards and picking locks he only had four hours of unordox research every night.

After a week of discovery upon discovery, Conan was at a loss. After researching Absolute Justice, he found out about the World Government, and inevitably the Gorosei; this didn't surprise him, but the world he was in was pure anarchy and totaltalitarian. The pirates were marked as criminals because they refused to bow their heads like sheep, and saw through the glitter the World Government put up for everyone. After researching the technology of the world, Conan had discovered the Den Den Mushi, and had finally managed to swipe one that broadcasted information. He wasn't planning to actually broadcast his discovery, but he needed some leverage over his captors. Like the Ohara incident, all he needed was Nico Robin's testimony and that could easily be proved. She was alive with people called the Strawhat pirates or whatever. But from what he discovered…the Gorosei were planning something pretty sick…as a detective, could he really leave this world at their hands? NO! Rachel and the others were waiting for him! They were counting on him! He couldn't afford to think unnecessarily now. For now, he needed to completely set up his leverage, and then set up his escape. He was certain Tsuru would help him at this point, and if he made it through the obstacles, she'd let him pass into the next stage: home.

"Edogawa." Conan turned to his side, realizing he had spent the last hour staring aimlessly at his ceiling. "Let's go. The Fleet Admiral wants a word with you."

'This can't be good.' Conan thought as he and Coby put on his chains.

"Don't worry. Sengoku-Taicho, just wants a progress report from you." Coby smiled reassuringly. Conan blinked, and panicked slightly, did Sengoku know that he had been sneaking out of cell? Well…if he did, Conan would have to switch to plan B.

**At Sengoku's Office**

Conan knew it was bad when Coby and Helemppo were told to wait outside, however Garp-san and Tsuru-san were in the office as well, so it might not get that ugly. "So, Mr. Kudo, any progress on the One Piece case?"

"With all due respect sir, with the limited resources you give me, I can't come to a proper conclusion." Conan sighed. He wasn't lying, but he wasn't exactly telling the truth either.

"We've given you plenty. If you haven't found it yet, that either means you're lying, or you're not as good as people say you are." Akainu growled. Conan observed that the other two Admirals were here as well, along with the other two Vice Admirals.

"Akainu, please." Sengoku raised a hand to quiet the man. "What about the information is insufficient to you? We've given you every detail we know about Gol. D. Roger's life, including his family; we've given you an exact chronological documentation of the Grand Line and the attempted voyages; a complete history of Raftel and why it's so dangerous; who Roger's crew mates and where they are now; and finally…the alliance Roger had with two of the Emporers of the New World- Whitebeard and Shanks. Leading you to know about the World Government hiring out the Warlords, as well as their intelligence agency, Ceipher Pole. Tell me, what could you possibly be missing in this pool of information?"

"A document that doesn't point a finger at Roger or his crew. I need to analyze something from an unbiased party." Conan replied, earning him a harsh punch in the face by Akainu. He dropped to the ground.

"LIAR! Don't speak to your superior, tainted scum!" Akainu glowered down at the fierce detective.

"Akainu!" Garp stood up, but was held in place by Tsuru. The old woman looked very sad for what was about to happen.

"Akainu, there's no need to get violent quite yet." Sengoku's glasses gleemed. "You see, we don't think you're lying Mr. Edogawa, we just think you're being lazy and not focusing on finding the treasure. And due to the random questions you've been asking my subordinates, I think you know what I'm talking about. Now then, you know where One Piece is, don't you?"

Conan glared. "No. I don't."

Akainu put his foot to the boy's throat, causing Conan to choke, but then panic when suddenly felt immense heat from the man's shoe. Before he realized what he was happening, Akainu's shoe had become like a hot iron and was branding Conan's neck.

"AAUGH!" Conan convulsed and started struggling violently. He had been tortured before, but nothing like this. What the hell was going on? Just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, Akainu was suddenly shoved off him. Conan could barely register anything else, before he blacked out.

**3hrs Later**

Conan bolted awake and looked at his surroundings, he found himself in his cell on his caught, but something was different, his throat felt extremely tight and he felt sore, as if he'd been burned. Memories came flooding to him and put his hands to his throat, wincing from his own touch. His neck was completely bandaged. "You'd make a fine marine." Conan snapped his head towards the voice. He found Garp. "Tsuru told me what's going on, and why she asked to borrow Coby and Helemppo. Can't blame her, she can't trust anyone else. Sengoku's gone crazy, never thought Akainu would do that to a child. I'm sorry you had to endure that."

"I was caught, wasn't I?" Conan asked plainly.

"Ah." Garp nodded. "Just today though. Sengoku and the other Admirals are worried about what you've discovered, so they decided to scare you into amnesia. I'm guessing it didn't work."

"I don't scare that easy." The boy looked away, refusing to look at the man.

"Good. You're strong kid, you really are." The Vice-Admiral sighed. "Don't do that again. Until get out of here, don't ever cross those guys again. That power or torture you experienced, was a devil fruit Tsuru told yah about."

"So that was a devil fruit, huh?" Conan turned back to him. "Let me guess, the Magma-Magma fruit?"

"Close enough." Garp sighed. "His type are the most powerful, Logia-type. They're element based fruits that allow your body to control and become that element. In Akainu's case it's magma, in Aokiji's case it's ice, Kizaru's is light, and Sengoku has what's called a mystic zonan. That's the rarest kind of devil fruit. Zonan turn you into animals as well as give you abilities of that animal, mystic zonan allows you to become a mythitical beast. Sengoku's is to become a giant Buddha. The last type of devil fruit is Paramecia, they're the most odd and body-manipulated type. They essentially cause your body to become another substance, yah know, like rubber."

"Why are you telling me this?" the detective rose an eyebrow.

"So you know who you're picking a fight with next time." Garp sighed. "You're not a fighter, I can already tell. Don't get yourself in trouble by getting into a fight with anyone here, especially the Admirals." Garp stood up and headed for the door. "You've been given the day off. Get some sleep."

After the Vice Admiral left, Conan flopped back down on the cot and slowly allowed himself to surrender to sleep. Now that he had seen a devil-fruit power first hand, he couldn't treat it as passing thought anymore. If the Black Organization got their hands on those…Conan shivered at the thought. But if what Tsuru said was true, all he had to do was lead them to water. Smiling, the gears in his head started forming a plan.

**3 days Later**

Bathing was a time for the body to relax and be cleansed. He hadn't been beaten since that time, nor had he spoken to anyone since the incident. Coby and Helmeppo seemed to understand what happened to him, and after trying to coax a few words out of him, they didn't say anything else. They saw a scared and traumatized child, while Conan was plotting revenge and escape. At this point, he had a fairly good idea of where One Piece was, and he had to say, even in death, the Pirate King completely screwed the World Government over. It was true that Raftel was where the _map _of One Piece was located, but the actual treasure was hidden somewhere else. He quite literally meant _everything _he owned was in One Piece, including things that went beyond gold and silver. He had a pretty good idea of where it was, but like hell he was telling these people. There was One Piece and there was no One Piece at the same time; damn that's brilliant. He sighed and got out of the bath tub and grabbed a towel, starting to dry off. Walking up to a mirror, he sat down and picked up the medical tape left for him there. Glancing at the huge forming-scar on his neck, he sighed. How the hell was he going to explain this one to Rachel? He wrapped his neck with the fresh bandages provided, careful not open any scabbing.

"Conan?" He turned to the door at the sound of knocking and Coby's voice. "Are you okay? You normally bathe much faster than this."

"I'm fine, I'm actually done now." Conan called back. Quickly walking into the changing area of the large bathroom, he took out the pajamas placed out for him and dressed quickly. Another nice thing about the Navy was that they did his laundry for him; they had provided him with a simple white shirt and blue pants since his arrival. He assumed the symbol on the back of the shirt was the Navy's. After dressing in the pajamas, he went up to the washroom's entrance and turned the knob to let Coby and Helmeppo in.

"Did you enjoy your bath?" Coby asked as he fastened his handcuffs.

"No more than usual. " Conan shrugged.

"Took your time today." Helmeppo grunted.

"Helmeppo!" Coby jabbed him with his elbow.

"Sorry." Grunted the blond. "You'll have a roommate starting tonight." The young detective paled, that meant he wouldn't nearly have as much flexibility as he did now.

"A guard's staying in my cell with me?" Conan raised a brow.

"No! No! Nothing like that!" Coby flaied his hands in reassurance. "He just means that we have another prisoner that's going to share that hallway with you, you'll be in different cells though."

"Ah. I see." Conan nodded. Great, a spy.

"He's dangerous, though. So don't talk to him, all right?" Coby warned him.

"I won't." Conan nodded. "What's his name?"

"You'll find out." Helmeppo replied dryly. "Let's go. We're wasting time."

"Yeah. Sorry about this, Conan-kun. We'll talk to our superiors about him getting transferred." Coby smiled back behind him as Conan followed them down the hallway. The young detective didn't say anything, he was dreadfully irritated. Sengoku must've gotten paranoid, so he was probably rooming with a pirate who was being bribed to spy him. Great. Just great, he'd have to figure out a new way to move.

**Back at Conan's Cell**

Conan blinked at the sight before him. They had just opened the door to his prison quarters, and he was greeted with the sight of Vice Admiral Garp and Vice Admiral Tsuru, Sengoku, and Akainu crowding around the cell that was opposite to his. Coby and Helmeppo straightened up immediately and saluted their superiors.

"Ah. Chief Petty Officers Coby and Helemeppo, good to see you two doing your work so diligently. I wish all young marines were like you; Garp always seems to produce the finest. I wish I could say the same here." Sengoku gestured towards the prisoner, making Conan even more curious of the situation. The detective straightened up when Akainu stared at him.

"Put him in his cell." Akainu ordered. Coby and Helmeppo quickly did as they were told. As soon as Conan was uncuffed, the marines scurried out of the cell and waited for further orders. "Out. You have no other business here." The Admiral waved them off.

"Neither do you, Sazaki!" Garp glared. "None of you do. Out!" Garp met the eyes of the Fleet Admiral, indicating he as serious.

Sengoku sighed. "Fine. But this isn't over." He turned to the now, curious detective. "I'd hurry up on the solving the case if I were you." With that, he walked away from the boy and lead the rest of the Navy officials out. Leaving the curious detective with the Vice Admiral, who by himself, blocked his view of the new inmate.

"Kid, can I ask you something?" Garp spoke after he heard the door close.

"Sure." Conan replied quickly.

"You're a detective, helping uphold order and justice in your world right?" The big man asked.

"Yeah." Conan answered uncertainly.

"Tell me. What would you do if one of your friends or family was in the Black Organization?" That question certainly caught the boy off-guard.

"What do you mean? That's crazy!" He laughed nervously. "There's no way one of my friends-" He cut himself off when he remembered Anita. He frowned, he wondered how his friends were doing.

Garp ignored his initial answered and continued questioning. "Would you fight them? Would you kill them if it meant peace and justice? If it meant to save the world you lived in…would you kill them?"

The boy blinked, obviously not expecting that question. He looked to the ground and thought for a moment, and finally, he found his answer. "…If you have to ask those questions then that means only two things: your friend's completely betrayed you or you're no longer working for the greater good." Conan paused and clenched his fists. "If my friend betrayed me personally and did anything to harm my loved ones, then I'd kill them without hesitation." Garp turned to the boy slightly in surprise. "It's as you said, if they're upsetting the order of things by killing innocent people, then I have no choice but to act. But if it was the world against one of my friends or family…you can bet your Navy-badged ass I'd fight like hell for them." Conan smirked at that. He meant it; Anita was his ally, and he'd fight anything the Black Organization threw at him to help her.

"Even if they chose a life of crime willingly?" Garp prodded, narrowing his eyes.

Conan smirked again. "I actually have a friend who's a famous thief; he's a kind, honest man, who's never wronged a person in his life, with the exception of being a peeping tom." He laughed slightly, thinking of Lupin and Kid Kaido. "But it's as you said, he's a thief, and when I meet up with him, I have to try and catch him. I haven't caught him yet, but every time I fail, he always offers his hand to help me get back up to catch him again. If the world turned against me or him, I know we'd back each other up. So to answer your question Garp-san, I'd say that justice is law, but justice doesn't mean it's right."

Garp turned back to the other inmate again. "I see. Thank you." His voice got gruffer when he spoke to the inmate. "Behave yourself! I'll see you tomorrow!" Garp marched away without saying another word. After he left, Conan peered curiously into his cell, and what he saw shocked him. There was a black-haired, muscular young man, who seemed to be in his late teens, had an odd spelling tattoo on his arm, and wore no shirt and a beaded necklace. He was in heavier shackles than he was in. The man was chained to the wall and didn't look to be in good shape. Seeing as how the man didn't even look up Conan tried to kneel down to get a good look at his face.

"What do you want kid?" Conan jumped at the tone, and noticed the man was staring at him. But when the man saw who was staring at him, he looked shocked and angry. "What's a kid like you, doing here?"

"Er…I'm suspected of conspiracy. You?" Conan quickly lied.

"…Son of a pirate, nothing more. What's your name?" He asked, suspicious of the boy.

"Conan Edogawa." He answered. "…Yours?"

"Ace." Replied the man. "Portgas D. Ace."


	5. Talking helps

**Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews! This chapter's really short, but that's the build up of Case Closed. But, in the next chapter, a lot of action's going to come! So be here for it next time! Also, during the Marineford arc, I wasn't sure how long Ace had been in Impel Down vs. Marineford, so I just went with it the best I could. So if Ace's supposed stay at Marineford is too long before execution, I apologize. Anyways, I haven't fully decided on how the next chapter's going to go, but there will be action! Advice is always loved and appreciated, thanks! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed  
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The young detective felt his legs shake. Portgas D. Ace? Gol. D. Roger's son? He was alive? From what Conan had read, after Roger's execution, a mass paranoia siege of expectant mothers had been slaughtered along with their unborn children. It was disgusting to read about, but even more disturbing to think about. Jumping to conclusions, he assumed Ace and his mother were dead. Thinking about how he should approach this, Conan decided it was best to play the 'cute and naïve kid' routine. "Cool! Are you the famous Fire-Fist-Ace?" The man nodded. "So cool! The Navy complains about you and your crew all the time! You guys must be strong!" Conan decide to stop himself before he gagged on his own words.

"Eh…we do alright." Ace sweat-dropped from the kid's enthusiasm. "Whitebeard's the strongest man alive, only the strongest men are allowed on his crew."

"Whitebeard? The Whitebeard?" Conan was so glad he took theatre back in high school.

"Yep. So you've heard of us, huh?" He smiled at the kid. Relieved to have good company after his nightmarish experience.

"Who hasn't heard of you or Whitebeard-san?" Conan smiled widely.

"That's true. " Ace chuckled. "So…you said you were in here for conspiracy…no offense…but that's a little hard to believe." The young pirate frowned slightly at Conan's nervous expression.

Thinking of the cover up story, the detective quickly responded. "When I was two…my parents were slaughtered by the Bare-Knuckle pirates, and I was taken in as their coordinator. They forced me into figuring out puzzles and mysteries to find lost treasure and all that stuff. It was pretty scary."

"…Ah. I bet it was." Ace now felt bad for making the child tell him. "So if you were kidnapped, why do they suspect you of conspiracy?"

"Because I associated with them…some scary old guy named Akainu, said I couldn't be trusted. So they're keeping me locked up until the Bare-Knuckle pirates are completely wiped out…then the Fleet Admiral said they'd let me go." Conan lied easily. "They're lying, right Ace-san?"

"Yeah. Without a doubt." The shackled man looked down, feeling anger rush in him. How the hell could the Navy do this to a child? "That's too bad kid, looks like we're both goners."

That made the detective curious. "What do you mean? Aren't Whitebeard-san and his crew coming to save you?"

"Yeah. I don't want them too, though." Ace said sadly.

"Why?" Conan inquired.

"Because a war's going to erupt." Ace's words shot through Conan like a lightning bolt. "You grew up with some pretty rotten pirate-scum, so let me explain something about real pirates: nakama is everything."

'Nakama?' Conan thought.

"One of the golden rules of pirates is to never abandon your nakama under any circumstances. These men and women are your brothers, sisters, family…and Oyaji treats us exactly like that." Ace actually smiled as he talked about how his captain related to him and the rest of the crew. "We call him Oyaji, because he calls us his sons. He's a great father, a great man, the man that should be King of the Pirates."

"You and your crew sound close." Conan observed.

"Hell yeah, we are." Ace snapped slightly. "Because of that, Oyaji's going to come full force with all of the division commanders and the allies we've made over the years. The Navy's going to lure all of the pirates into Marineford and slaughter them all. Millions will die on both sides, it's gonna be ugly. Sorry you have to be here for this, kid."

'Division commanders? Whitebeard's crew must be huge!' Conan thought. 'I can understand for the sake of public declaration in using a public execution, but what's the point in starting all-out war with the pirates?'

"Are you a division commander, Ace-san?" The detective ventured a guess based on what he read.

Ace looked at him strangely, but answered anyways. "Yeah. Second-division commander, why do you ask?"

"Sorry sir, It's just that…how did you get captured?" Conan knew by now if you had a title in this world, it wasn't for show. If Whitebeard really was the strongest alive, then that meant the division commanders were naturally assumed to be strong, so what would bring a division commander of Whitebeard's down?

From the silence, the detective almost thought Ace wasn't going to answer. "I was stupid. Got into a fight with a man named Blackbeard, I went after him because he broke the most important rule of piracy: murder of his own nakama."

"So you went after a traitor." Conan nodded, having down that a few times himself.

"Yeah." Ace sighed. "He at the Yami Yami fruit, and I was stupid and didn't do any research on what it's power was, I also underestimated Blackbeard and overestimated myself. Now here I am, trapped in a prison cell at Marineford, shackled in sea stone cuffs, and awaiting my execution."

"Execution?" Conan piped.

"Yeah." The pirate nodded. "It's how they're going to lure Oyaji and the others in, they're going to broadcast my execution world-wide, and have the world witness the Navy triumph over the pirates. They've already announced the execution date, and Oyaji will know where it is."

"Where?" Conan knew already, but the role of the kid required some stupidity.

"Here; Marineford." Ace sighed. "I really let everyone down, huh? Oyaji and my nakama are worried sick, my little brother broke in and out of Impel Down to try and save me, and I'm forcing Gramps to choose between 'Absolute Justice' and family."

"Gramps?" Conan thought for a moment, and realized who he meant. "Garp-san's your grandfather?"

"Ah…he is. Why?" Ace inquired.

"Just wondering. He and his men have been the most nice to me since I got here." The detective smiled.

"That's good to hear. Gramps is pretty good with kids; he had to raise me and my little brother, after all." The fire pirate chuckled, he then looked at Conan. "So, how long have you been here, kid?"

"A week and a half. How long have you been imprisoned?" Conan replied in turn.

"Same time as you, actually." Conan's eyes widened.

"Seriously?" Conan asked a bit frantic, taking the pirate by surprise. "Was it exactly a week and three days, ago?"

"Yeah…actually. Why? What's going on? Kid?" Ace was starting to worry as he saw the younger boy's eyes get wider.

Ignoring the questions, Conan looked Ace directly in the eye. "Listen to me, how long before your execution?"

"…Three days from now." Ace answered, a little uncertain.

"How do you destroy the sea stone shackles?" Conan demanded.

"You normally just smash them." Ace frowned. "Kid…where are you going with this?"

Ignoring Ace's question once again, the boy spoke. "If I busted you out of here, would you be willing to take me to see Whitebeard-san…there's something I need to ask him."

"Kid…are you nuts?" Ace asked dryly. "First of all…there's no way you can get off the island without a boat, someone's going to catch you. Two, even if you did bust me out of here, what makes you think I'll take you to Oyaji,"

"Because you're not a stupid man, and I know you'll want me to meet Whitebeard-san, anyways." Conan reasoned logically.

Ace thought for a moment and then nodded. "Okay kid…if you bust me out of here…I'll take you to see Oyaji." The pirate was scoffing inwardly, as if the kid was even capable of doing it.

"So I have three days, right?" Conan snapped Ace out of his thoughts.

"That's right." Ace nodded.

Smirking, Conan put his hands in his pajama pockets and stood in his usual cocky and relaxed pose. "Good. Cause all I need is one."


	6. Breakout!

**Hey guys! Sorry it took a little longer, I wanted to get this part just right! Anyways, the action will continue in the next chapter, so send your requests of what you would like to see happen! I hope you enjoy! Thanks for the reviews, it's what keeps the authros going!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Case Closed or One Piece  
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Conan pretended to be asleep on his cot, waiting for Coby and Helmeppo to come to his cell. After his talk with Ace, the pirate called him crazy and opted to get some much-needed rest. After Conan was sure Ace was asleep, he took out the tools he had managed to bring with him when he was abducted. Before they forced him out of his normal clothes, he extracted his gadgets and hid them in a tiny crevice-space between his bed post and the wall. Besides, it was dark in here, so the Navy couldn't do a proper search in here even if they wanted to. The idiots didn't bother to put lights in here. What he had wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. He had his handy watch, homing glasses, his bow-tie, his sneakers (which he still had on him), his skateboard, and soccer ball, courtesy of his travel belt. He was so glad Agasa had made the skateboard portable, he really was. Forming a plan in his head, he figured the best way to get himself and Ace out would be to destroy the sea stone cuffs. But even if he did that, what good would that do? They were severely outnumbered, and he still didn't know how powerful Ace was compared to the Admirals, but judging by the extreme hierarchy of the Navy, he assumed 4 against 1 was not a good bet here. Their best option was to knock out some Navy members and sneak on a boat. Ace could disguise a Marine, and he could disguise as someone's kid. There was one problem: he still had his friends and family to think about. The Black Organization wasn't a group of idiots; they were expecting him to escape, and looking for an excuse to go after the ones close to him. He had a scenario in mind to collect blackmail and use it against the Navy, but he only had one shot at escape, and he was dead if Ace left without him.

Snapping his head up from the sound, Conan frowned at the guard at the door, his partner should've been with him. "Where's Coby-san?" He asked,

"I've been given orders to move you to a ship, kid. Something big is going to happen today." Helmeppo replied indifferently. The boy noticed the stress in his voice, and decided to venture.

"Why? What's going on, Helmeppo-san?" Conan asked. Suddenly, a voice boomed into the prison quarters, that was no doubt, Sengoku's voice.

"Attention everyone, the execution of Portgas D. Ace, has been moved from three days, to three hours from now. Please have all personnel and weapons accounted for. Whitebeard and his crew will come at us full force, and it is our job as the Navy, to show the world that justice triumph over evil. All scouts and soldiers report to your superiors for further instruction." The announcement ended. Helmeppo sighed at Conan's shocked face. "Let's go kid."

"Why are they pushing the date so early? Helmeppo-san? Why?" The young detective was inwardly cursing; he had to enact his plan now. Feeling his wrist for his watch, Conan readied the stun gun. Conan looked to Ace, who seemed to be too shocked to say anything.

"Why are they executing, Ace-san anyways? I'm scared!" Conan cried. His acting skills scared himself sometimes.

The marine walked into the cell, and gave another sigh. "That's just how it is, you can't do anything about it. Come on, now. It's going to get crazy here, so-" Right as he was about to handcuff Conan, the detective activated his stun gun, and knocked the guard out. Catching Helmeppo, so he wouldn't make any noise falling, Conan set him down and grabbed a pair of keys he was carrying. Seeing how his own cell was unlocked, he ran over towards Ace's.

The pirate didn't even realize the boy was in his cell until he realized that a huge amount of weight was suddenly shifted off him. Ace looked down at himself and noticed he was no longer bound in chains, no longer bound to those damned sea-stone cuffs. Turning towards the child, he breathed. "How-"

"No time to explain!" Conan yelled and grabbed Ace's wrist, pulling him towards the door. Conan growled when Ace didn't move. "We have to move! It's not going to be long until they notice that one of their men hasn't returned to his post, and everyone's too distracted right now to notice such small details!"

"…Ah….you're right." Ace nodded and stood up.

Conan nodded and ran to the entrance of the prison quarters, and just as he thought, it was unlocked. Poking his head to see if there was anyone on patrol, he turned back to Ace. "All clear! Let's go!" Conan ran out the door and into the hallway.

"Oi!" Ace snapped out of his trance and realized the child ran off on his own. Following the younger boy out of his living quarters, he found his crouched down at an intersection of the hallway. They boy turned towards Ace, and motioned him to come beside him. Obeying, Ace crouched beside the detective and waited for Conan to make his next move. Noticing there some marines coming this way, he heated up his fist and prepared to blast him.

"Don't!" Conan whispered, raising his hand for emphasis. Aiming his watch carefully, he shot two pin-drop shots of electricity, effectively knocking the guards out.

Ace was stunned. "How'd you do that?"

"There's a stun gun in my watch, so I'm able to knock people out when I need to." He explained and got out of his corner. Looking at the guards he knocked out, he turned towards Ace. "How fast can you change clothes?"

"…Why?" The pirate didn't like where this was going.

Conan frowned. "You're not stupid person, Ace-san. You know why." His frown deepened at the glare he received. "We're outnumbered, outmatched, and the Navy's scrambling to get everything in order for your execution. In an organized hierarchy like this, it's best to strike when preparations are being made because that's when they're least expecting it, as well as them being arrogant enough to believe we won't be able to escape on our own. If I had allowed you to blast these two men with fire, more soldiers would've come at us, thus alerting the whole Navy we had escaped." Conan sighed. "This isn't the time to be picky; you need to sneak out quietly, not go out like an emergency flare. Now quit complaining and switch clothes with one of these guys!"

After a few moments of glaring, Ace finally complied and did as he was asked. In less than a minute, he was dressed like a normal marine, the problem was, and he wasn't as clean-looking as most of them were. Conan handed him a comb, which he found in one of the soldiers' pockets. "Now what?" Ace frowned at the comb.

"Marines are required to dress professionally as well as look professionally; you're not going to pass as one, if you don't completely look the part." Conan explained as if it was obvious.

"Just so you know, I'm going to kill you, after this is over." Ace glared and took the comb from him. After a few moments, Conan nodded at Ace's disguise, confirming it was good enough. "If Oyaji and the guys see me, they'll never let me this down."

"It's life or pride Ace-san, I recommend choosing wisely." Conan replied plainly, and looked to the ground, trying to think of something he could use to disguise himself, but then he remembered something. People around the naval base had seen him, but very few actually knew he was a prisoner. So statistically speaking, he had a good chance to get to the Fleet Admiral's office without much incident.

"Oi kid!" Ace shook him slightly, snapping Conan out of his thoughts. "Didn't you hear me?"

"What?" Conan blinked, embarrassed that he zoned out.

Ace sighed. "Where to next? We can't stay in this hallway forever."

"To the Fleet Admiral's office." The detective answered evenly.

Ace frowned. "Are you crazy? As you said, we need to get out of here, let's head for a ship!"

"If we sail out now, it'll look suspicious." Conan countered, earning a confused look from Ace. "These people are gearing up for war, which means they're calling back every solidier they have out on the other islands to assist them with this. All naval vessels are coming to dock, not to exit port. It'll look too suspicious, especially if one of the Admirals tries to call us back and we don't respond."

"Then how do we get out of here?" The pirate asked, his frustration being leaked.

"It's as Helmeppo-san said, they're expecting me. However, due to preparation they need to do for the war, no one's going to question Helmeppo's late arrival, nor will they question that another guard has me due to the chaos of their system at the moment. We'll use the ship they've set up for my transport and go from there." The detective explained and started foreword. Turning to Ace, he said, "Come on! I memorized the layout of this place, I know where the Fleet Admiral's office is!"

"This island's huge! How the hell do you expect me to believe you memorized this place in such a short time?" Ace exclaimed but followed the younger boy anyways. Thinking quickly, Ace picked up Conan, earning a surprised yelp, and placed Conan on one of his shoulders. Conan was about to protest, but Ace shut him up. "Your legs are too short, it'll be faster if I just carry you like this. Now which way?" Conan was as embarrassed as hell at the moment, but couldn't argue.

"It's the tall Shinto shrine tower approximately 50 kilos to the left of this building! It's the only building with that design in the area, you can't miss it!" Conan answered.

Adjusting the kid's weight on his shoulder, Ace placed a steadying hand against Conan's body to ensure he wouldn't fall off. "Lead the way, little guy."

**10min Later**

As much as Ace hated to admit it, Conan's plan was working. They were running through the halls, past marines who thought nothing of it. Ace thought it was strange though. If Conan was a prisoner as well, why was he not in disguise as well? "Left!" Snapping out of his thoughts, Ace turned left down the next hallway, and continued his run. "Right!" Making another turn, Ace was wondering if they were even close to Sengoku's office.

"Hey, kid? How far is the bastard's office from here?" Ace huffed.

"Two lefts and a right down this hallway!" Conan answered.

"Got it!" Ace quickened his pace until he was past all the marines, taking the directions as they came.

The detective frowned as they got closer, it was going to smoothly, but it was too smooth. Perhaps all the Admirals and the few Vice Admirals who knew about him were all out in the field, making preparations. But where was Sengoku? That Garp-person? Coby? Conan was used to winging plans but he usually had the luxury of knowing where everyone was. He was about to adjust his glasses for body-heat signals, but then Ace stopped abruptly. "Ace-san? What's wrong?"

"Got distracted, huh brat?" Grunted a familiar voice. Conan turned slowly to the familiar voice. There was Vice-Admiral Garp staring intently at them in the hallway. The younger boy didn't even have time to reply before being lifted off of Ace's shoulder and being placed behind the teen. "Well, Ace, the uniform looks good on yah; wish you'd put it on for the right reasons, though."

"This wasn't _my_ idea." Ace replied in annoyance, gesturing towards the boy behind him. Conan was inwardly cursing, he should've counted for running into Garp or one of the others. Suddenly, he felt himself being picked up by the collar and being thrown forward. Garp stepped aside, and let Conan crash into the upcoming wall.

"What the hell was that for?" Conan exclaimed rubbing his head.

"You have something to do, don't you?" Ace shot Conan a glare.

"Get going, brat. You're wasting time." Garp shooed him away. Conan stood up and blinked; after a minute, he gave an abrupt bow to both of them and ran off. After seeing the brat run off, Garp turned his attention back to Ace. "I'm not helping a villain; I'm helping a scared little boy get back home. He's not a pirate; he's just a poor soul who got dragged into this mess."

"…Who is that kid, Gramps? Why's he really here?" Ace asked calmly.

Garp sighed. "That isn't you concern, Ace. Just go on and get out of here, you have your chance, now escape."

"You're helping me?" Ace scoffed. "What about me being a villain?"

"I don't see a villain here." Garp replied swiftly. "All I see is a confused marine who doesn't know where his post is. And if he goes down to the docks, there will be a few boats preparing to take off and he'll be assigned properly. He should also cover his face because it looks terrifying."

"Gramps…" The young pirate sighed. "Thanks for the concern, but I'm not leaving without the kid."

"Don't be a fool!" The old marine hissed. "You don't have much time! If the kid's smart enough and has the resources to break you out of a Marineford prison, do you really think he can't break himself out?"

"Maybe. But that doesn't mean I'm leaving him to the sharks like this." Ace clenched his fist and it started to turn red, Garp narrowed his eyes. "Move, Gramps. I need to get that brat and escape before Oyaji and the others show up; Luffy's probably on his way too."

"He obviously has something to do, just be a good soldier and trust your team mate!" Garp clenched his fit and charged at Ace. The pirate dodged and shot a fire ball into his back, though it wasn't as strong as his normal attacks. Garp sighed, when he felt the fire ball dissipate as soon as it touched him. "Listen Ace, to follow that kid, you're gonna have to get through me. And the only way you're gonna win is if you fight seriously." Suddenly, Garp's fist collided with Ace's face and sent the boy flying into the far wall.

Ace growled and wiped blood off his mouth. "Fine then." He heated his fist to flames were bursting. "FIRE FIST!" The pirate knew Garp was down when he didn't bother to dodge it, it was his grandpa's way of saying he approved. With a nod of the head towards his fallen elder, he ran off in the direction Conan had taken.

**With Conan**

As the confrontation went on, Conan ran the rest of the way towards Sengoku's office. Relief washed over Conan when he discovered it empty. Thinking quickly, Conan readied his bowtie and tried to think back to his research on the Cipher Pole. If he posed as a World government official, it'd be too messy and the figure's authority would be questionable over the Navy. The Admirals were out of the question because they were outside in the midst of the chaos. Deciding that a Cipher Pole would be the best option. Question was, when to broadcast his announcement and how to broadcast it? His head jerked up when he heard voices. Hiding under the desk, he hid himself as best as he could.

"This is a disaster! A complete and utter disaster!" Sengoku slammed the door open, stomping into his office, Akainu and Tsuru following close behind. "Tsuru! How could they have possibly escaped?"

"Perhaps inadequate search? Too much freedom, maybe? I warned you that the boy was extremely inquisitive, and that we hadn't dealt with someone like him before. This was a stupid idea to begin with, and you bringing Fire-Fist Ace here, was too big of a risk." The old woman scolded. "Honestly…are you honestly still going to go through with the broadcast, Sengoku?" Conan's eyes widened at the words.

"We have to!" Akainu exclaimed suddenly. "We have to show the world, justice will ultimately prevail!"

"The only thing we're showing is that the Navy can't keep one pirate in line." She said simply.

"Silence hag!" Akainu barked, causing Tsuru to make a sharp turn to him, effectively turning him into a wet blanket.

"Tsuru!" Sengoku barked. "We don't have time for this!"

"He had it coming." She sighed. "Sit down, Sengoku. Let's discuss for further planning."

Sengoku sighed and obeyed the order. "You're right. Let's calm down and-" Tsuru didn't blink when the Admiral suddenly lost conscious.

Getting out from his hiding place, Conan stood directly in front of the woman. "You knew I was there?"

"This was the most obvious place you'd go." Tsuru replied simply. "You freed Fire-Fist Ace, thus making him your ally because you knew escape would be impossible alone, especially against people with devil fruits. However, you couldn't just leave Mareinford because your family and friends are being used against you. So by setting something up here, you planned to bluff your way out of here using blackmail that the World Government would refuse to negotiate flexibility. You knew that the Black Organization had been using us, but as you suspect, they don't actually have anything over us. They want you alive; you don't need to make some huge speech. Despite what was said, the Black Organization isn't going to make any immediate moves, they need you alive, they need you focused as we do. Don't do anything rash."

"…Are you my ally then?" Conan wasn't sure what to make of this.

"No. As I said to you before, I want what's best for the Navy. Working with terrorists and becoming hypocrites isn't what's best for us. " The old woman explained. "I'm giving you two options: you can escape with Fire-Fist and not make the public announcement using the Fleet Admiral or whatever personnel you planned to impersonate; or make the announcement and have no chance in hell of escaping. The second you say one word against the Navy, I'll bring the entire system down upon your head. Don't underestimate us, boy."

"So essentially, you're willing to offer me complete coverage if I cooperate." Conan confirmed.

Tsuru nodded and looked Conan directly in the eye. "Yes. I'm even willing to provide coverage about yours and Fire-Fist's escape. What do you say boy, do or die?"


	7. Escape Route

**Hey guys! Sorry it's been a few days! I've been lazy and have been dealing with housing issues for my college next year! You've got to love conservative Christian moms who think their sons are going to impregnate you just because you're living in the same house. Anyways, thanks for the reviews, and I apologize for the grammar mistakes. As I said, it's fanfiction, and I'm lazy. I also read the reviews, and I understand you guys have concerns about Luffy and his crew entering the new world, and Luffy not going through the training. First of all, I never said Luffy or his crew wasn't going to get training; I want Conan to encounter people, including the Straw Hat pirates, but I have to bend the story at least a little for that to work. Not to mention, I'm not having Conan stay there forever, he's going to help stop the World Government, and that's about it. When I wrote these two chapters, Luffy's training was the farthest thing from my head; Conan won't even stick around for the time-skip. When I wrote these two chapters, all I thought about was how Ace should still be alive! (I cried when Ace died) Enjoy the chapter!**

** Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed**

The detective glared at the woman, his fists were clenched. "Lady, I don't know what you take me for, but I've dealt with snakes before, I know one when I see one. It's not about the announcement, you don't the pirates or anyone to know anything's going on at all, including the World Government. I refuse to work with an asset that doesn't give me full discloser."

The woman smirked. "Don't start a war with me, boy. You don't have the experience nor the gall to stick it out."

"You're the one who first made contact with the Black Organization, and you used the Admiral's egos against them and tricked them into thinking they found a solution for the One Piece treasure. But it's not about the treasure, is it, Miss Tsuru. It's about what the World Government and Navy lose if One Piece is found and not destroyed. That's what your true intention is, isn't it Miss Tsuru. To have me find One Piece, and destroy it." Conan glared and stepped forward. "I don't know what you have over the Black Organization, but I do know you need my cooperation as well as my mental stability. So you're not going to do anything stupid by going after them, you need me to stay here and solve the world's upcoming problem: the planned execution of all of the world's pirates, using various things on the Grand Line as leverage. Such as coating the entire beach of Raftel with sea-stone salt, and the device that crushes sea-stone salt into molecules and releasing them into the air. In my world, you're essentially planning a biological terrorist attack; most commonly used disease in my world for this would be Anthrax and Smallpox."

Tsuru lowered her head slightly, smirking and her glasses gleamed, hiding her eyes. "That's what I hate about you prodigies, so damned perspective. I knew bringing you here was a mistake." She got her gun and pointed it at Conan. The detective didn't flinch and stood his ground. "Balance and order must run the world for it to exist properly, no chaos and free of war. Isn't that what you strive for as well, Mr. Kudo?"

Conan glared even harsher. "A world without chaos is just a world without spirit! If there's nothing but control, there's nothing but fear and terror! Because no one will feel safe enough in true order, for order and Absolute Justice do not exist."

"A pretty excerpt, boy." She got ready to pull the trigger. "Too bad, you won't be able to say it to anyone else. Last chance, kid: do or die?"

Crouching low, Conan smirked and got ready to dodge. "Neither for me, thanks. I prefer making my own choices!"

"You'll regret this." The old woman retracted her weapon and put in the latch in her belt, and reached into her pocket and pulled out a Den Den Mushi. "We've already hooked up the televisions to reach world-wide broadcasting signals. Use this to make it look like we've called off the execution."

Conan was floored. "You're helping me, now?"

"It doesn't matter which you choose boy. Either way, I'll get what I want. I can tell by looking at you that you can't resist solving the mystery of One Piece by this point, and you aren't the type to leave a person to die at the hands of corruption, let alone a whole world. Though it's true that no World government official or even the Gorosei match up to the intelligence of the Black Organization, it should be good practice in taking a huge operation like that down, shouldn't it?" She smiled and started walking out o the room.

Conan smirked. "You sneaky old grandma, you were going to use me no matter what."

"Indeed." She nodded. "Directly below you is a private port for the Fleet Admiral's ship, use a bomb and the weak structure of this building will collapse, and you'll drop right onto the ship. I've already arranged for trusted men to escort you to a safe location, don' worry, they don't know who you are either."

"You're a strange one, Granny Tsuru." The detective sighed.

"It gives me more authority, good luck." The old marine shut the door behind her, giving Conan what he needed. Sighing, the detective got to work, setting the Admiral up, as well as his bowtie. After taking a few breaths to calm himself. He steadied himself behind Sengoku and turned on the intercom.

"_Attention men, this your commander, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and there has been a drastic change n plans!" _Conan began. Sneaking a glance out of a window in Sengoku's office, he could tell it was working. _"Due to some horrific discoveries by our supreme commanders, the Gorosei, it has been discovered that there have been mass conspiracy in the World Government to take over the world, using the Navy's technology. It has been discovered that the World Government was planning to release microscopic-sized sea-stone molecules into the air, thus killing anyone with a Devil fruit within twenty four hours, which includes us marines, who have been fighting alongside the World Government for years. Upon his horrific discovery, the execution of Portgas D. Ace must be postponed until further notice." _Conan had to think quickly due to the erupting boos outside. _I understand how you feel, however, we must consider the gravity of our current situation. If a war were to ignited now, then the Navy will be in complete chaos, and we won't be ready for any sneak attacks the World Government will obviously pull. We have to think what's best for our men. Better safe than sorry. Thank you for your understanding; this is Fleet Admiral Sengoku signing off." _As soon as Conan reattached his bowtie, he ran from behind Sengoku and out of his office. If what Sengoku said was true, then he had to find an elevator or stairs!

" EDOGAWA!" Conan barely had time to react when a fire ball came fly at him. Ducking to the ground, he rolled into a wall in the corridor and looked to his opponent.

'Damn!' He cursed; it was one of the Admirals!

"Edogawa…this postpone is your entire fault! It's been confirmed that Fire Fist has escaped, and it was also confirmed how that startup was knocked out- a small volt of electricity. You forgot to move the body out of your cell after you knocked him out." Akainu stepped closer, and readied another magma blast.

"Didn't you hear him? Sengoku-san just said to focus on the World Government!" The detective exclaimed, trying to buy himself some time.

"Ah. I did." The magma admiral nodded. "I don't believe for a second, that Sengoku is that much of a spineless coward. If the World government wants war with us, will merely take them on like the pirates. Either way, we have to show the world the dawn of justice, by killing Fire-Fist."

"How's is the life of one man so significant?" Conan blinked, starting to think the man was crazy.

"You don't know then? That's a surprise." Akainu took off his baseball head and scratched the back of his head. "Fire-Fist Ace is none other than the son of the Pirate King, Gol. D. Roger." Conan faked the shocked look on his face, giving Akainu enough arrogance to continue. "By dying, Gol. D. Roger started the golden age of the pirates; by killing his son, we end it."

"So you're killing a good man for the sake of symbolic ideology that you want the world to live by." Conan glared. "That's not justice, that's tyranny, you're no marine, you have no right to call yourself a man of justice!"

Akainu put his hat back on his head. "Take that back, brat."

"Are you kidding?" The detective hissed, now completely pissed off. "You're willing to sacrifice your men, innocent civilians, and drag other worlds into this war all for the sake of proving Absolute Justice? Men of justice serve the greater good by protecting their ideals and their men, and treat both with equal respect and power. Two friends of mine are international thieves, and even they have stronger sense of justice than you. You're no marine, you're just a mercenary given a free pass to the world's population."

"URUSAI!" He blasted another ball at Conan, who thankfully jumped out of the way. Darting down another hallway, he cursed when he saw it was a dead end. Facing the Admiral, Conan put on a brave face, not breaking it even after being harshly lifted up. It was than Conan realized just how freakishly tall the Admiral was, as well as a lot of people around him. Feeling the hand squeeze, Conan gasped in pain, when he felt the pressure increase on his neck. "That's right; that wound I gave you is still there isn't it? Has it healed yet?" The Admiral smirked and squeezed harder, loving the way the boy's face scrunched in pain. Conan's hands raised over Akainu's huge hand and attempted to pry him off of him, but the large man was simply too strong. "It's the end of the line, kid."

"FIREFLIES!" Suddenly glowing red balls appeared around Akainu. "IGNITION!" They all blasted Akainu, causing him to drop Conan. The young detective to see Ace staring at him with worry behind Akainu. Rubbing his neck, he got up and ran towards the pirate.

"Ace-san!" The pirate picked up the child and started to run for it. "Wait!"

"Are you kidding? We have to go!" Ace ran with the kid in one arm, while focusing on finding the best window to jump from.

"Just listen to me!" Conan yelled. "Make those glowing firebombs again, and make sure they're on the ground when they ignite!"

"Are you crazy? The building will collapse!" Ace pointed out, still running.

"TRUST ME!" Conan parried himself out of Ace's grip and landed in a crouched position behind the pirate. Ace stopped and turned to Conan. The detective stood up and sighed. "Trust me…"

Ace looked at Conan's eyes and sighed. "Fine. But then you follow me, and no arguments."

"Sure." The detective replied and braced himself. As soon as Ace ignited the glowing balls, the floor along with the support beams of the buildings collapsed underneath him, sending them into chaotic freefall. "Brace yourself!" Ace grabbed Conan and held the kid close to himself, prepared to take any damage for the kid. "Ace-san?"

"Trust me kid, you brace yourself!" Without another word, Ace transformed into a mass amount of flames, and gently guided them down. Conan was amazed by what he saw, realizing the older boy had transformed into fire and yet he was still being carried by him. He also realized it wasn't even hot, just warm; Ace must've been able to control the temperature. Before Conan knew it, the flames vanished and Ace was holding him normally again, and he realized that they landed on the boat Tsuru had promised.

"There you are!" Conan and Ace snapped their heads towards a familiar voice. A frantic Coby approached them. "Edogawa-kun? What happened to you? Are you all right? Who's this and where's Helmeppo-san?"

'He doesn't recognize him?' Conan thought exasperated. "I don't know! I'm scared!" Ace turned to Conan, surprised at the behavior.

"It's okay!" Coby reassured him. "I'm sure Helmeppo just got reassigned! Why else would you be with another escort?"

"That's true…" Conan nodded.

"Okay!" The pink-haired marine patted Conan's head and turned to the disguised Ace. "Let's head off! Vice Admiral Garp said we had to head to San Faldo!"

The detective turned to Ace, who wore a frown. He whispered to the small detective. "That's the Carnival Island, it's connected to Water 7."

"What's Water 7?" Conan asked.

"The island for shipwrights. It's just weird we're heading to San Faldo in this situation, because that island's not particular y equipped for battle." Ace replied.

"But it's a huge carnival, right?" Conan asked.

"Yeah." Ace confirmed. "Why?"

"The best way to evade Coby is to disappear into a crowd, that's exactly what's being given to us." Conan explained. Ace stood up straight when the young marine ran to him.

"Come on, help me cast off!" Inwardly grumbling, Ace bit his tongue and did as he was told. Conan sighed and leaned against the wall of the captain's quarters of the ship. Before the detective knew it, he was sound asleep. Apparently, stress-induced insomnia does that to a person.


	8. A Moment to Pause

**At long last I found a place to live next year, as well as the inspiration to write! I hate my boyfriend's mother sometimes, she drives me insane. Anyways, I had writer's block because I wasn't sure whereto go from the last chapter, and well, I came up with this filler chapter before another exciting battle occurs! I decided to put Coby back in because he just fits in well in the story, and Conan will meet Whitebeard as well as Luffy, I'm just not sure when or how. Thanks for being patient and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed**

San Faldo was an interesting place, Conan decided. Also known as "The Carnival City", it was a metropolitan design with a bunch of shopping areas that seemed to design itself for tourists. And in the center of it, it seemed to have a connecting river providing a sort of avenues for the town, similar to Venice. Currently, the young detective was standing outside a clothing store, waiting for Ace. After docking, Ace promptly knocked out Coby and went straight to clothes-shopping, eager to rid himself of the navy garb. Not that Conan blamed him, blue and white almost seemed redundant as a combination. Frowning, the boy thought of something: now that he had escaped, what was his next move? Tsuru had a point in that he couldn't back on his own, but he couldn't remain at Marineford either. As far as One Piece went, was he honestly interested enough to actually confirm his theory? He wasn't sure; if Ace was going to continue to travel with him like this, then it was out of the question. Raised as a traditional Shintoist, Conan knew that going to another man's home without permission was a grave insult. On the other hand, he couldn't help but be curious if the treasure was really all that great. Perhaps Roger announced One Piece, but it didn't actually exist? Conan had no clue, all he knew was that he had to get more dirt on the World Government, that way he could at least have enough leverage to blackmail them. And then there was the sea-stone molecules…what was he supposed to do? Allow a genocide or futilely stop it? That was another thing about Ace that would be beneficial…if he could talk to Whitebeard, he could warn everyone in the pirate-community. But getting Whitebeard involved was a huge gamble and Conan knew it. But it seemed that high-stakes were a requirement in this game, whether he liked it or not.

"Hey kid." Conan jumped slightly when he heard Ace. The boy turned to the pirate, to see him dressed back down into just shorts, his hat that Conan hadn't noticed before was properly on his head, and he looked a little better cleaned up. "Let's check into a motel, we need to treat our injuries properly."

"Ah." The younger agreed.

"You should get new clothes too, yah know…for disguise." Ace prompted Conan into the shop he was just in. The fake child grimaced, remembering being dragged into clothing stores with Rachel and forced to stay there for hours while she tried stuff on. But he was dying to get out of the Navy clothes himself, and he'd stand out less if he had a disguise. Sighing, he allowed himself to be pushed into the shop by Ace, and went to pick out some clothes.

**5min Later**

"They look good." Ace complimented.

"Yeah, if my name was Scampy." Conan glared at his reflection, slightly pissed. Ace hadn't given him any say in what he could wear, and threw clothes randomly at him. What Conan found that had fit him was a black T-shirt with white dots on the abdomen, baggy cargo-shorts, and a head scarf with skulls on it. He looked like a kid playing dress-up.

"Come on kid, it's what we can afford, and I hate shopping." Ace reasoned.

"Fine." Conan snorted and let Ace buy the clothes, getting out of the shop as fast as possible. Turning to his older companion, he spoke up. "What now?"

"Welp…I have to get back to Oyaji's ship, and stop the shit from hitting the fan…and you…" Ace thought a moment, he honestly wasn't sure what to do with the kid. "Are your parents alive?"

"No." Conan lied, and realized Ace didn't know the whole cover up story. "I was abducted by the Bare-Knuckle pirates at a young age, and was forced to be their code-breaker, they left me for dead when the Navy came after us. I was told that they are dead."

"Ah." Ace nodded, believing the story. That was good, at least the Navy gave Conan a story that checked out with people around him. "I guess you should come with me, then."

"Thanks." He smiled and then realized something. "Ace-san?"

"Hm?"

"I can appreciate the fact that you're older than me, but don't take advantage of my youth and skip out on our deal. You're supposed to take me to Whitebeard-san, remember?" Conan smiled.

"Yeah, yeah…don't remind me." Ace groaned, hating to admit that he had been wrong about the kid. "That was pretty impressive though, you fooled the Navy completely, and you made the Fleet Admiral take back my execution."

"Do you think that'll be enough to stop Whitebeard-san and other pirates from going to war?" The detective sure hoped so.

"Probably. The crew probably thinks I'm at Impel Down." He sighed. "I guess that's where we should head next." Ace started walking, motioning Conan to follow.

"What's Impel Down?" Conan asked.

"It's a prison for the world's most heinous criminals." Ace answered simply. "I was there before being transferred to Marineford."

"What was it like?" Curious to know.

"The seven layers of hell kid, that's exactly what it is." Ace sighed and continued forward.

'Dante's inferno, huh?' Conan thought.

**At a hotel**

After finding a simple Inn on the island, Ace checked himself and the detective into a small room, which thankfully had two beds. They agreed to allow Ace to treat himself first due to the severity of his injuries. Conan felt the bandage on his neck, knowing that he needed a new one. He could probably get away without wearing one, but it'd be too awkward to have people stare at it, and he didn't want to remember the torture session anyways. Ace bought a First-Aid kit from the Inn gift shop, which thankfully ended up being free since the counter-girl liked Ace and thought she had a shot with him. Judging by the annoyance from the teen, Conan assumed that happened to him a lot.

"Kid!" Conan snapped his head up.

"Bathroom's all yours." Ace gestured to the small washroom behind himself. The detective nodded and wordlessly went in. After the pirate was sure his companion wasn't listening, he fished out a Den Den Mushi in the new bag he bought from the market; he swiped the snail off a marine when no one was looking. Setting the snail up, he began speaking. "Hello? Oyaji? Anyone there?"

"_ACE!" _ Whitebeard's voice boomed through the Den Den Mushi.

"Ah. I'm here Oyaji, sorry about the confusion." Ace replied.

"_Where are you? We've been going nuts looking for you!_" Whitebeard yelled.

"I figured. Again…I'm sorry, and I'll explain in detail what happened at Marineford, but there's something you should know about the situation currently. One, I'm on Sal Faldo, so if we could meet up here or somewhere else that'd be great. The other thing: I'm not traveling alone…I'm not sure how to explain this, but a kid's with me." The pirate had to make something up about Conan, because there was no way the truth was seeing the light of day. If his crewmates found out a little kid saved him, they'd never let him live it down.

_"Kid? Whose is he?" _The old pirate was now confused. _"What was he doing in prison at Marineford?"_

"The boy's parents were killed. Apparently the scum group we know as the Bare-Knuckle crew, massacred his island and kidnapped him. Apparently the kid's a genius or something, because they were using him to break codes and solve riddles. The Navy made up some crap about conspiracy charges. He hasn't told me what the real reason for his imprisonment though." Ace frowned into the Den Den Mushi.

"_Real reason?"_ Whitebeard repeated.

"Ah. It's obvious that the Navy was trying to use him for the same thing, he just doesn't want to say what it is. Whatever it was Oyaji, it must've been important. Also, I think the Navy's told this kid about certain pirate crews, he knew about us for example. Might be a good idea to bring him onto the ship for a while. What do you think?" Ace explained.

"_Bring him along when you return. We'll be in Water Seven's docks within three days, meet us at the left seaport." _The wise captain responded.

"Understood. And Oyaji…arigato…really." Ace looked to his feet, he avoided death and a war, he had to make things up to his father when he returned.

"_No reason to blame yourself Ace, I shouldn't have let you go out to begin with." _Whitebeard sighed. _"Keep yourself and the kid safe, we'll see you soon. Keep out of sight with the Navy."_

"Understood. I look forward to seeing everyone too. Ja ne!" Ace sighed and hung up the Den Den Mushi, that wasn't as bad as thought it was going to be. Snapping his head up, he noticed that Conan had come out of the bathroom.

"What's up?" He noticed the pirate looking at him.

"Nothing. We should order room service." Ace reasoned, he was getting hungry, and Conan most likely was too.

"Yeah. I'm starved."

**After room service arrived**

Conan had his complaints about the universe he was in, but the food was definitely not one of them. He and Ace ordered an octopus platter and a couple of sandwiches. Although, Ace gobbled almost everything down before Conan had a chance to reach for anything. Luckily, the pirate took pity on the boy and gave him the remaining portion of the food. It wasn't much but it would do.

"Hey kid, I need to tell yah something." Ace got his attention.

"Oyaji's agreed to meet with you, but only if you pull your weight around the ship. We've decided we're going to take you to a safe haven of ours; Oars and his men will help you." Ace told him.

"Where is his island exactly? How far from here?" Conan asked.

"It's about three days journey." Ace replied. "That okay with you?"

"Yes. Perfectly." Conan was relieved that he'd soon have an opening.

"Good. Oyaji will be here in a few days, don't go embarrassing me." Ace warned the younger boy.

"No worries." Conan figured Ace didn't want his crew to know about him busting the older boy out. Which was fine, just annoying.

**The next day**

"So, we have a few days to relax, what do you want to do?" Ace asked, walking down the boulevard with Conan.

"…Actually, could you drop me off at the library?" Ace really didn't strike Conan as the book type.

"You're a kid." Ace frowned. "Shouldn't you want to ride rides, or play games?"

"I find those games mindlessly simple, and the rides are often not worth the wait." Conan didn't even bother hiding that he didn't like carnivals.

"Yeesh…you're pleasant aren't you?" The pirate replied. "Well whatever, I'll drop you off at the library and find a pub. If I'm lucky there'll be someone with an actual spirit."

"Ha ha." Conan replied sardonically.

"I'm serious kid, lighten up." Ace said.

"I'll do that." Conan's eye twitched. "May we go, now?"

"Sure." Once again they started walking.

**15min Later**

Conan sighed and went through the books on the shelves pertaining to the Grand Line, other than advanced geographical maps, it wasn't very helpful. Another thing was, that the public information was completely different from the papers he read in the Navy HQ. For example, the books about Roger made him out to be a monster, while the Navy made him to be an extremely devious thief. Deciding to take another approach, he decided to look up that prison Ace mentioned, Impel Down. What better place to hide secrets where it's guarded by the most heinous criminals? Not to mention, he was fairly curious of what other dirt he could dig up about the World Government. "Edogawa-kun!" The boy jumped slightly and turned to the source of the voice, and to his surprise, it was Coby. "There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

"Coby-san! What a surprise!" Conan exclaimed.

"What happened? Why are you dressed that way?" Coby frowned.

"I wanted fresh clothes, the marine clothes were starting to stink." He complained.

"Oh, I see." Nodding at the answer, he nudged Conan out of the shop. "Let's get to the marine base, they wanted to make sure you were okay. I was worried about you because your attendant never showed up, and you had disappeared. Why'd you wander off, Edogawa-kun?"

"I wanted to ride rides." He replied lamely.

"Well ask someone to go with you next time, I understand that it's exciting, but control yourself a little." Coby scolded. "Honestly, that was something Luffy would do!"

"Luffy?" That was a strange name.

"Monkey D. Luffy, captain of the Straw hat pirates, and a personal friend of mine." The marine smiled.

"A pirate is friends with a marine?" Conan asked confused.

"I know. It sounds a little strange." Coby chuckled. "But Monkey D. Luffy isn't your normal pirate, he's a kind, warm, and fun-loving. "

"Isn't he also the most infamous Supernova?" Conan pointed out.

"Ah. You've researched them, Edogawa-kun?" He asked surprised.

"Just a little, my research mentioned all the probable candidates for finding One Piece, and that included the Supernovas." He explained. "So where is the marine base, Coby-san?"

"On the beach actually, it's in a great location." He smiled. "Why?"

"Just curious. So there are books there?" Conan asked.

"Yep. From history to geography, don't worry, you won't get bored." Coby replied.

Conan smiled, he was stealing another Navy vessel. "Hey Coby-san, I was wondering…you any good at navigating?"


	9. Jailbreak

**Hey, I didn't get any reviews for the last chapter so does that mean no one liked it or no one bothered to read it because of the title. I just thought that the title was clever because it was a development chapter and nothing was really happening. So, here's the next chapter and please tell me what you guys think! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed**

The best thing about the Grand Line- the jet-propulsion stream! He was traveling through it right now, with the pink-haired marine who was terrified beyond measure. It was fast, it was like riding his skateboard on a jet, it was incredible! He just hoped Ace-san would understand when he found the note Conan left at the hotel. After making something up about losing a book, Conan made the excuse to go to the hotel, and slipped the inn keeper some money and a note to give to Ace. Hopefully, the pirate would understand.

**With Ace**

The division captain stared at the note, and stared some more. If he was with his foolish little brother, he'd expect this, but this recklessness seemed rather uncharacteristic of the boy. I mean, other than his brother, who would dare jump ship on him and not expect retribution? Staring at the note in front of him, it read:

_Dear Ace-san,_

_ Due to unforeseen circumstances, I am now traveling with the Navy again. Don't worry, I'm with Coby-san, so I'll be all right. If you and your friends want to come by the beach and say hi, go ahead. Right now, I'm heading for that Impel Down place you mentioned, Coby-san said I'll be safest there. We're using the propulsion stream, so we'll get there really fast. It's too dangerous for you to go though, so don't follow me. Well, thanks for your help Ace-san! Ja ne!_

_Sincerely,_

_Conan Edogawa_

Seriously, what's up with that? The idiot even told him and his crew where to go. He was about as bad of keeping secrets as Luffy was. Ace groaned, now he and his crew had to save the idiotic brat.

**With Conan**

"Edogawa-kun!" Conan turned to the marine who was clutching to a post on the ship for dear life. "Why are you heading to Impel Down? What's there?"

"I don't know! I just need to figure something out!" The boy shouted in response. It was true; damn his detective's curiosity! He just had to confirm his suspicions about One Piece now! And maybe, just maybe, he'd find a solution for both his world and this one; he often did in solving cases. "Coby-san! How much further?"

"We'll end up in the sea near the port of the prison! It's about a day's journey into the prison's docks!" The young marine yelled. "Edogawa-kun! Are you sure Helmeppo-san said you were to be transferred to Impel Down? There are a lot of unsavory characters there!"

"Which is why it's the best protection! No one would dare break in to kidnap me and I can't escape!" Conan inwardly smirked, knowing he'd have a ride by the time his investigation at the prison was over.

"Oh! Okay!" Coby nodded at the answer.

The detective felt slightly guilty for stringing the young marine along, but he needed a navigator, and he knew how to get in and out of the prison, not to mention, a marine meant easy access to World Government files, which meant more dirt. Smiling when the ship slowed when it exited the watery canal, he whirled past a dizzy Coby and went to dining room, anxious for a good meal.

**A Day Later**

After seeing the outside of the prison, Conan was starting to have second thoughts on his plans; it looked like a prison dome, and two-thirds of it was under water; making Coby even more vital in his plan. "Stay close, Edogawa-kun, there was a mass prison break a while ago, so security's been increased."

"How'd they escape?" He was curious as to how they got out.

"He he…Monkey D. Luffy freed them." The marine explained.

"The pirate captain you mentioned earlier? He lead the breakout?" Conan gasped.

"Yeah…he's quite a troublemaker, he's only been a pirate for a year or so, but he's already become one of the most infamous people in the world." Coby replied leading Conan into the fortress.

"What makes him so formidable?" Conan was surprised that one person could break out of all this.

"He ate the Gum Gum fruit, which turned his body into rubber." Coby explained.

Conan spoke as he took in the prison's surroundings. "Rubber? Doesn't that seem like a useless ability for combat?"

"Yeah, if you don't know how to control it." Coby smiled as thought of Luffy's exploits. "But Luffy's beat many pirates with that power, and even defeated marines with it."

"You don't say…" The detective was interested. "What's his latest stunt?"

"As I said, he broke out of here with people in tow, and even defeated Warden Magellan from what I heard. But I heard he also had help defeating him; there have been various takes on what happened." The young marine replied.

'I suppose it doesn't matter.' Conan thought. "Who's Warden Magellan?"

"You'll meet him." Coby frowned. "But I have to warn you, he's kind of scary."

"I've been tortured by Admiral Akainu, I can handle scary." The young detective pointed out.

"You got me there." Coby sweat-dropped.

Conan nodded and looked around further, realizing they were going to a lower level of the prison. "Where are we going exactly, Coby-san?"

"Down to visitor's quarters, Warden Magellan will greet you there." The young marine replied.

"Ah." And sure enough, after passing a bunch of gruff-looking guards, they walked to a metal door with a small window above it. "This is the room? Are there any books in there?"

"Don't worry, there are. There's also a map of the prison in there, in case you need to find a restroom. You probably need to bathe too, don't you?" Coby pointed out.

"Sounds good." Conan managed a smile; at least he'd get a general picture of this place.

Coby nodded. "Here we are."

The guards let them in without hesitation, and after getting themselves settled into some chairs in the room, Conan spoke again. "What was Magellan-san's devil fruit again?"

"Doku Doku fruit, why?" Coby replied.

"Ah. Just curious." Conan smiled. 'Venom huh? It's either a paramecia or a logia'.

"Look sharp, here he comes!" Coby stood up and saluted. Conan stood as well, but didn't salute. When the door opened, Conan could've swore Draculla's bouncer walked through the door. He wore a gothic Navy outfit, littered in crosses, and was at least eight feet tall and buff. His fangs and hair looked classic hairy Dracula, which looked completely ridiculous.

"Who is this?" Magellan looked down at the nervous detective.

"Sir! This Conan Edogawa, quarantined prisoner that was to be transferred here for further observation and research Sir!" Coby spoke loudly and clearly.

"Ah. The quarantine detainee case, I heard." Nodding at the answer, the warden turned to the younger boy. "Research material hasn't been prepared for you since your arrival has been sudden and unannounced, and we have been recuperating from the shock that Fleet Admiral Sengoku brought upon. Since I am in charge here, I will assign you some research material, however, this time it will be about the World Government."

Conan inwardly smirked and nodded. "Yes sir, what am I looking for exactly?"

"Any past indications that have led to these discoveries Sengoku announced, as well as any suspicious behavior that could lead to harm upon the Navy. Also, I'm assigning you some research material on Cipher Pole 9." Magellan informed him.

"Cipher Pole 9?" Conan didn't hear about this.

"Cipher Pole is the World Government's intelligence agency, they have thousands of agents all around the world, and right now, are completely at odds with the Navy. There are eight normal Cipher Pole branches around the Grand Line, and then there is Cipher Pole 9, the elite of the World Government's intelligence, it doesn't get much deadlier than them. Though the Strawhat crew have pulled through against them in the past, they are the only ones in history to do so, and it won't last."

'The Strawhat crew again.' Conan thought. "What were they fighting about?"

"They were rescuing a crewmate of theirs named Nico Robin, one of the most infamous criminals in the world. She massacred an entire island when she was eight, her damned Hana Hana fruit. Even made the Navy use a Buster Call."

"Buster Call?" Conan raised a brow.

"A complete and total onslaught of the Navy's force, there's only been two in history. One on Ohara island, and one Water 7 when the Strawhat crew broke in. Only the Navy's highest powers that can use one."

"Like Akainu-san?" Conan snorted.

Magellan raised a brow at Conan's remark. "So you suffered at the hands of the Admiral, I'm sorry; you're very young to go through that." He turned to a guard. "Prepare a room for the two of them, they're staying here until further notice. Also, I want a visitor's tour for them at once."

"Sir!" The guards saluted and went to their duties.

Magellan turned back to the two boys. "I need to return to my office, let me know if there's anything you need."

"Yes sir! We will!" Coby saluted and Magellan left. Coby turned to Conan and sighed. "I hope you're all right with being here, it's got to be scary."

"I'm fine. I've been through worse, after all." Conan gave a cheery smile.

**A Day Later**

Impel Down was much more lenient about their policies than Marineford. As long as Coby and a prison guard were with him, he could go wherever he wanted in the prison. He normally spent his time in the library anyways, and he couldn't help but smile from the research he dug up. He researched Cipher Pole 9, and discovered that they all had Zoan fruits and were all trained in a specific martial arts called, Rokushiki, and that they essentially have right to kill anything perceived as a threat to World Stability (or World Government). It was madness, as was the Ohara incident twenty years ago, he wondered if Magallan knew about the truth of it, and just wanted someone else to know the truth. Also, Nico Robin and Nico Olivia, and the poneglyphs, Conan was starting to get a headache from it all. He knew there was a connection between Gol. D. Roger and Nico Olivia, he just wasn't sure what it was. Both people succeeded their dreams and had everything to live for, so why cave in and go to the World Government in the end?

One thing was for sure there were two things in common: their defeat was unexpected and sudden, and it was when they were at the peak of their careers. Conan had to figure out what. Deciding to turn to Nico Robin, Conan looked n her file to look up for her father, and to his surprise found nothing. That was weird, especially since the case was high profile. Turning to the Ohara case profile, he looked over who was in charge. There was Spandam Sr., but Conan narrowed his eyes on the last two names on the list- Vice Admirals Kuzan and Sasaki. Looking up the names, he gasped when he found the names of Admiral Akainu and Aokiji. Seeing that Akainu initiated the Buster Call, Conan turned to Aokiji's profile to dig a little deeper. Apparently, he was in charge of the arrest of Nico Olivia, Robin's mother. His mind racing, he checked Nico Olivia's profile to see how long the search for her went on for- ten years.

"Aokiji was obsessed with this woman." Mumbled the detective.

"What was that, Edogawa-kun?" Coby asked. Conan turned and saw that the marine had brought them lunch.

Closing the file, he smiled and accepted the sandwich. "Nothing Coby-san, thanks!"

"No problem. They treat you a lot better here, don't they?" He remarked.

"Hn. They do." Conan nodded. "Hey Coby-san, do marines normally have relationships? Or are they too busy normally?"

"Have a crush already, huh?" The older boy laughed. "That's normal, but it's something that you should worry about when you're older. But I see what you're saying, the marines you've seen look to busy to have relationships, so it's understandable. And the answer's yes, marines easily find time for personal times. Whether it be reading or dating."

Conan nodded. "The higher the rank, the better the privacy, right?"

"Oh, yeah." Coby smiled. "Definitely. Especially Vice Admirals and Admirals, they can even have personal time while on missions!"

"You don't say." Conan smirked.

**The Next Day**

After further research on the World Government, Conan concluded where he needed to go next: Sabaody island, where the Red Line was located, as well as the Tenryubito. But he also knew he had to make arrangements. His transportation wouldn't be a problem, the only issue was summoning the right Admiral to the island, 'recruitment' shouldn't be a problem.

Suddenly, there was an alarm siren going off, and Coby burst into his room. "Edogawa-kun! We've got to get out of here! Whitebeard and his crew are attacking, we've got to get out of here!"

"What? How'd they find us?" Conan exclaimed in fake surprise.

"Don't know! But we need to get to the docks!" Plucking the detective from his seat into one arm, Coby started running through the prison, and after a few moments, Conan tazed him and the marine fell to the ground, unconscious. Sighing, The young detective was about to walk away, when the wall beside him shattered and was thrown back a few feet. Struggling to stand up, Conan shakily stood up and adjusted his glasses to where he could see properly. The man in front of had a face similar to mountain gorilla, but the head was tiny on the giant body, covered by gladiator-style armor, and was tan in color. The man almost looked like a giant. Conan prepared to run when he turned to him.

"You Conan Edogawa?" The man asked.

"Yeah. Who are you?" Conan replied nervously.

"Jozu Diamond. The third division commander of the Whitebeard pirates. Ace told us about you, and we've come to rescue you." Jozu explained.

"You're Ace-san's friend?" Conan walked towards the large man.

"Ah. Ace is fighting Magellan right now, so don't worry. With Ace's fire, Magellan'll boil to death." Smirked the large pirate.

"Good to know." Conan sweat-dropped.

"Ugh…!" Conan and Jozu jumped and turned their attention to Coby. "Edogawa-kun!" He reached his hand out in a futile effort to reach the boy.

Jozu frowned and walked over to the fallen novice. Conan began to grow nervous when Jozu drew his sword, but panic struck him when the sword raised. "Uh, Jozu-san…what are you going to do?"

The pirate barely acknowledged him, but spoke. "This is war kid, and in war, is death."

"NO!" Conan dove over Coby's body, waiting for the sword to strike down.


	10. The Great Whitebeard

**I felt like writing, so here's the new chapter! Let me know what you think! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed**

Conan had no idea what came over him, but now he was standing between a division commander captain and a young, easily-manipulated marine. He stared up defiantly at the pirate commander, who was staring at him curiously. "Get out of the way kid."

"No. We don't need to kill him." Conan glared.

"Yes we do." Jozu sighed. "Look kid, this is war, every marine we spare is just another soldier to kill another pirate."

"This marine did nothing wrong, he's a good man, who's been taking care of me while I was in Marineford." Conan replied. "I'm not a pirate or a marine, so I don't know the conflict you face every day. However, you're no better than the man who did this to me.." Conan unwrapped his bandages and showed his injury to Jozu, who's eyes widened to half his head when he saw the burn scar. "…if you do that Coby-san, than you're just as bad as Akainu-san. Besides, you owe me a favor for helping Ace-san, right?"

"…Right?" Jozu looked at him warily.

Nodding in approval, Conan continued. "Good. Then in return, I want you spare Coby-san."

"…Fine. But then we leave here and no more arguments." Jozu replied.

Nodding, Conan walked over to the man and allowed himself to be lifted up. Eager to meet the legendary King of the Seas.

**15min Later**

After leaving Conan with some of his men, Jozu returned to the battlefield or went to update Whitebeard. Either way, Conan was once again stuck in a strange room with attendants. And after an hour, Conan felt the boat rock and he was certain he was out at sea again. Moments later, a lazy-looking man with blonde hair opened the door. Conan observed he was average height compared to a lot of the people he had seen and had Whitebeard's mark on his chest rather than on his back like Ace did. "The name's Marco, I'm Whitebeard's first-division commander."

'He must be Whitebeard's first-mate then.' Conan thought. "My name's Conan Edogawa, it's nice to meet you, Marco-san." He bowed politely to the pirate.

"No need for the formalities, pirates are normally a casual bunch of people." Marco raised a hand in reassurance. "Oyaji wants to see you, let's go." The detective nodded and followed behind the man quietly. As they were walking, Conan noticed the ship was huge compared to every other vessel he had seen so far. But nothing could've prepared Conan for the moment he was be lead into. "This is Oyaji, also known as Whitebeard." The man was huge! No forget huge, he was the size of the statue of Liberty! He had to have been at least 60ft tall, was as muscular as a mountain, and had a smiling white mustache, as par to his logo. Conan was utterly speechless, and didn't realize that his jaw had dropped until his tongue started to dry.

"You seem surprised brat." Whitebeard chuckled.

"Er…Sorry for staring…I've just never met anyone as big and tall as you." Conan explained, earning a huge amount of laughter from the crew. The detective inwardly grumbled, like they hadn't been shocked by the man's size when they met him? Then again, with the weird things he had seen in this world, who knew what was possible?

"He he…you're a funny one brat." Whitebeard seemed amused with him. "Bring out a drumstick for the lad, he could use some meat."

"That's not-" Conan tried to refuse, but he could tell that the man was adamant.

"Eat up. From what Ace told us, they probably starved you." The old pirate reasoned. Seeing as how angering the pirate wasn't going to help him, Conan obeyed.

"Thank you." Conan ate the drumstick obediently and drank some of the water offered to him. After he was finished, Conan spoke again. "Thank you for saving my life Whitebeard-san, I owe you and your crew my life."

"Not a problem brat." The old pirate nodded. "Now then…Ace told me that in return for aiding his escape, you wanted to speak to me. Well you're here, so speak."

The detective nodded and put a firm face up, well as firm as a six-year-olds face could get. "Whitebeard-san, I'm sure Ace-san's already told you my situation and why I was being detained in the Navy, and if you have any suspicions or questions about it, you can ask, but…there's a favor I'd like from you."

"What is it?" The old pirate didn't like where this was going.

"Please take me to Sabaody." Conan said without missing a beat.

Whitebeard stared at him for a while, and it was silent for a few moments, until finally…he started laughing; loudly. "Ga ha ha ha! Ha ha ha! You're a funny one brat, now really, what's the favor you want? To be placed on an island protected by us? To become my son? Food? Give me a serious request that will actually make me take you seriously." The pirate captain and his crew laughed for a few moments, before Conan's tolerance snapped.

"I'm serious!" Everyone stopped laughing at once. His voice caught them off guard completely. "I've been to Sabaody, known as the half-way point of the Grand Line, as well home to the Red Line, the Tenryubito, the auction house trade, and a mark of entry into the New World. Which reminds me, you, Red-Haired Shanks-san, Kaido-san, and Charolette Linin-san; I've done my homework on the island and I've been forced to decipher for the Tenryubito by those Bare-Knuckle bastards, don't underestimate me."

"I see. So because you can spin a sob-story, you expect me to believe yah." Conan's eyes widened when Whitebeard spoke. "When Ace showed me your farewell note, I knew instantly that you wanted us to come find you; otherwise you had no way of escape from Impel Down. You can't navigate, you don't have a boat, and too many people want you dead from the look on your face. Normally I'd have you thrown off the boat for trying to deceive us like that, however, I'm curious as to what the Navy's so paranoid as to create a bunch of lies for you. Tell me brat, the story you told my son about the Bare-Knuckles was a complete lie wasn't it?"

Knowing that lying could get him killed at this point, Conan decided it was best to use truth. "Yes sir, it was. The Navy made it up for to fool their subordinates when they first captured me, and I've been held as their hostage ever since. I'm sorry I deceived Ace-san, but I had no choice."

"Then explain why you did." Whitebeard replied.

Conan glanced sideways in agitation, considering his words. He breathed deeply and spoke. "Sir…first of all, I'm not actually an orphan…however, if I didn't cooperate with the Navy and the World Government, I would've became one." Whitebeard didn't speak, beckoning Conan to continue. "I didn't lie about being a deciphering prodigy, I can solve murder cases by just looking at the crime scene, I can solve puzzles with one twist, figure riddles by reading one sentence; my talent was brought to the Navy's attention and I was kidnapped. And if I didn't do what they said, then they'd kill everyone close to me, my friends, my family, and even the people I've helped in the past."

Nodding at the answer, Whitebeard asked. "Where is your family now?"

"Believe it or not, they live as scholars on Sabaody, they do a lot of the Tenryubito's paperwork." Conan had to lie about something, it's not like they'd believe the truth.

"That explains why the Navy had such easy access to our family. For a smart brat, you made a pretty stupid move by correcting one of their flaws. Then again, brats like you don't know when to shut up," Whitebeard chuckled. "What does the Navy and World Government want you to do exactly?"

"They want me to find One Piece, and make the Navy the dominant power of the world." Conan said evenly. Gasps of horror and shock were heard throughout the ship, Conan noticed Ace visibly tensed at the mention of his father.

Whitebeard didn't seem surprised. "It's not like they'd use you for much else, do you know where it is already?"

"…I have a theory, but I was going to lie to the Navy about it and escape while they were fighting off sea kings." Conan explained hesitantly.

"So even if you deduce where Roger's treasure is, you won't tell anyone?" Whitebeard's gaze bore down at him.

"I personally believe that it is not my place or my business to confiscate the belongings of someone else, alive or dead. And even though Roger-san wanted someone to find his treasure, I know it wouldn't be like this." The young detective was being honest about that.

"Ha ha! I like your answer brat." The old pirate chuckled in approval. "Whether you know the correct location right now or not, doesn't concern me. Roger would've trusted someone like you."

"If I may ask sir, how do you know?" Conan raised a brow of the sudden mood switch.

"Jozu told me what Akainu did to you, and he also told me you protected that young marine with your life. You're lucky Jozu managed to stop the swing in time, otherwise, you'd be licking a new one. You're the kind of brat who's nosy and has a blatant idea of what's right and wrong, but unlike others, you don't push your ideas onto anyone else. That's why Roger would trust you. You should also know that Ace told us everything that happened in that Marineford prison, and I got to say brat…you've got the guts of ten pirates. Cheers for the brat!" Everyone raised their glasses and cheered.

Conan smiled in thanks, but there was still an issue to resolve. "Can I still go to Sabaody?"

"Of course, we'll prepare a whole armada and everything!" Whitebeard exclaimed happily.

"No!" Conan stood and raised his arms and hands to signal a halt. Everyone stopped and looked at him. "We can't rush in and charge them, for all we know, my family and friends have already been taken hostage and have orders to kill them upon seeing me or any of you. They know I helped Ace-san escape, so they're probably making preparations for us. Please listen to me…I have a plan."

"It better be good brat." Whitebeard sighed. "There's going to be a fight no matter what, and the results are rather inevitable here. If you don't show your merciless to them, then your relatives are as good as dead. They've already proven that to you, you can't afford to be soft."

Conan glared. "And if my plan works, then I'll have the Navy and the World Government off of everyone's backs permanently, and they'll never be able to find One Piece. I just need a ride to Sabaody, patience from you guys, and a layout map of the Tenryubito's palace. I need to know how to make them summon a specific Admiral."

"Sounds crazy kid. Why do you want an Admiral to come to us?" Ace spoke up with a frown.

"Simple. I plan to blackmail him." Conan stated blatantly, shocking everyone on the ship. "I have blackmail over one of the Admirals, however, he's not going take it seriously unless if I present him some kind of proof. And all of the most high-level classified documents and deposit boxes are in the Tenryubito's palace."

"So you need the deposit-box." Whitebeard finished.

"Exactly. While I'm at it, I can dig up enough dirt to bury the World Government and make the Navy stop sniffing around One Piece. This way no one dies and everyone has a home to return to." Conan finished looking at everyone in the ship. "What do you think?"

After a long pause, Whitebeard broke out into a grin and laughed heartily. "Brat, that's just crazy enough to work!" He turned to his navigators. "Take us to Sabaody, we could use a vacation anyways."

"HAH!" The crew cheered and gave Conan a full-blown welcome. The detective was inwardly wincing, hating the familiar pangs of guilt. It was one thing to lie to an asset when they're criminals, it's another thing entirely to lie to someone who's nothing but human.


	11. Behind Sabaody's Lines

**Hey guys! I had hella fun writing this chapter, so it's a bit long. But a lot of stuff happens, so it's great! I apologize if any of the minor characters seem out of character, I just saw a few clips from them and based their lines from there. Also, Ace may or may not seem out of character when talking to Conan in this chapter, but frankly, I think he's out of character in general when he talks about his dad. I'm not quite sure, but Jew;ery Bonnie may be in the next chapter, but I'm not sure how that's gonna pan out. Let me know what yah think! Thanks and enjoy!  
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**-Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or Case Closed  
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After a week aboard the giant ship, Conan felt the déjàvu of a full-blown, identity-crisis guilty trip. Just like with Rachel, he could only tell bits of truth and keep these men in the dark. But like with Rachel, he vowed to tell them everything when the threat was gone. But it was times like this where Conan wondered, maybe it was best to oust himself as Jimmy Kudo. Would it make that much of difference? The Black Organization already knows his identity as well as who the people close to him were, and was there any point of lying to the people here? He didn't know, and at the moment, he couldn't second guess his actions, too much was at stake. He was brought back to reality when he felt someone pet his head, looking up, he gave a polite smile to Vista, Whitebeard's fifth division commander. "How goes it, lad?"

"I'm fine Vista-san, just felt like staring at the water. My chores in the kitchen and study are done, and the nurses didn't have anything else assigned for me, so I decided to take the opportunity to relax." The detective said.

"Ah. A calming scene like this is exactly what the mind needs for stress." The pirate commander leaned on the railing beside him. "We all know you're hiding something from us, yah know." Conan tensed considerably. "But, it's as Oyaji said. You're a person Roger would trust with his secrets, no reason why we can't do the same. But Oyaji thinks you're rather certain of your deduction, lad."

"Out of respect for Ace-san, Roger-san, and Rouge-san, I won't say it. I promise." Conan clenched his fists.

"I know you won't lad, but that's why we're worried." The detective turned to the swordsman, confused. "You do realize the Navy will most likely have Cipher Pole go after you, right?"

"Which is why I need the information on the World Government." Conan reasoned.

"Yes, yes...and how long do you think you'll have before they call your bluff?" Vista questioned.

"It won't be a bluff, but judging by the Ohara incident, I'd say a week." Conan replied looking down.

"Understand that I don't disagree with your ideals of peace, it's just unrealistic in this situation." Vista said sadly.

"What's unrealistic is giving up without trying." The detective responded.

"Heh…that's exactly what Ace would say." Vista chuckled.

"Ace-san's furious with me, isn't he?" Conan sighed. "In order to find One Piece, I needed to establish a basic profile, which meant researching his past actions, his exploits, and his family. With that, I deducted Roger-san to be a great man who cared deeply for his crew, and quite literally had everything in the world right before he died. Which was why I found his death so confusing, why would he turn himself into the marines like that, yah know? Especially because…Rouge-san was pregnant at the time. I don't need to establish a profile to know how courageous of a person she was."

"You've thought deeply about this." Vista nodded in satisfaction. "Ace appreciates that you understand the sensitivity on the subject, and he is also grateful you never brought it up around him. He'd probably punch you. He's merely angry that you lied to him, and that you lied about being oblivious to his background. We're all a little angry at you for lying."

'They're going to be furious when they find out the rest later.' Conan inwardly shivered. "I'm sorry I lied, I just…didn't know what else to do, I thought it was easier."

Vista chuckled. "Of course it's easier to lie than to the truth, that's why truth is so hard for all of us to face."

That was quite a way to put it. "You don't say?" Conan chuckled.

"Of course. But that doesn't mean you need to punish yourself for it; you were scared, we understand. And you just want to see your family, so of course you'd be hasty. But you have to promise us, no more secrets." Vista laughed.

Conan's chuckling diminished completely and faced away from the kind pirate. "I…can't promise something I can't keep, I'm too used to lying."

"I see." Vista pursed. "Do you want to see your family again?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to see your friends again?"

"Yes."

"Do you want your freedom back?"

"Yes." Conan was getting sick of this.

"Why do you still want to find One Piece?"

"Because I want to see if I'm right!" Conan exclaimed, only shut his hands over his mouth a second later.

"See, being honest isn't so hard." Amazingly, the pirate wasn't about to feed him to the sharks. "You just have a harder time with it than others." Noticing the kid was utterly speechless Vista yawned. "Come on. We hit Sabaody's docks by morning, need to be rested." The detective wordlessly nodded and followed Vista's prompt.

**Next Morning**

Conan had now found another feature of this universe, he loved some of the weird islands. Sabaody was known as the half-way point of the Grand Line, and was considered one of the most dangerous islands, but it had a massive carnival and it was beautiful. As much as Conan hated to admit it, he had a blast riding the bubbles. And after half an hour of fun, Ace's patience wore out and he hoisted the detective back to the case.

Whitebeard had ordered Ace and Vista to scout the area before they made their move, after all, following Conan's logic, it'd be too suspicious if too many of them were in one place. Ace obviously budded with Conan, intent on talking to the boy due to Whitebeard calling him out on his lies. Walking along the marketplace, Ace spoke up. "So…anything else you'd like to confess?"

Gulping, the boy responded. "Not particularly."

"Too bad. If we're going to continue helping you, you're going to be honest with us in return." Ace took Conan aside into an alley. "Now speak. What else are you hiding?"

"…Nothing, Ace-san." Looking away from the pirate.

This just made the commander angrier. "You think I'm stupid or something? You lied about being an orphan, you lied about not knowing about me and my crew, and I'm pretty positive you're lying about what you're planning to do right now!"

"No, that last part's true! I am trying to get blackmail on the Admiral!" Conan exclaimed in defense.

"Oh really?" Ace sneered. "Which Admiral, and what's the material exactly?"

"I can't tell you either of them, because then it wouldn't be considered blackmail!" The detective replied.

"Oh save it! You just want an edge over me, Oyaji, and the rest of Whitebeard's crew!" Ace accused. "You're just using us to meet your goal, but you're not even thinking about us at all! Otherwise, you'd come clean and tell us everything!"

Having enough, Conan glared up fiercely. "And in the perfect world, I would tell you! I'd tell you and all my friends everything, and I wouldn't sneak around behind everyone's back to solve the problems they cause themselves! I don't deny I'm using you or your crew, Ace-san. But don't you dare accuse me of holding out on you, because everything's on the line for me." Ace was silent at those words. Conan took a breath to calm down and spoke again. "I'm sorry about what happened to your father, I'm sorry for what your mother had to endure, and I'm sorry you were persecuted for crimes you didn't commit. But frankly Ace-san, get over yourself. We've got bigger problems than your family's melodrama."

"Kid…" Ace suddenly felt bad.

"I'm good at finding my way around places, I'll meet up with you at that place." Conan pointed to the Ripp-Off Bar. "I'll meet up with you in four hours, see you later, Ace-san." And without warning, he activated his skateboard and rolled away from Ace.

"Conan! Wait!" Ace called after him, but it only took him a minute to realize the kid was long gone. "Damnt it, Oyaji's going to hang me for this." Ace didn't mean to get so angry with the boy, but when he realized just how much Conan knew about him and his family, he reacted aggressively because he assumed Conan was going to use that information against him. But thiking about it, Conan most likely just learned that through basic research the Navy made him do. Which made him thinking of how risked himself to save Coby from Jozu. A kid like that wouldn't exploit personal secrets, because the kid had his own secrets to protect.

"Well, well, if it isn't the son of Captain Roger." Spinning around, Ace prepared a fire fist, only to be kicked down with a strong shot of haki. Struggling to get up, Ace came face to face, with Silver Raleigh, his father's former first mate. The old man smiled amused at the disgruntled young man. "Please come join me at the Rip-Off Bar, my wife and I would enjoy the company of the Whitebeard pirates."

**With Conan**

Rolling aimlessly through the streets on his board, Conan deduced that he got enough distance from Ace, and put away his faithful tool. How it could us an upgrade from Dr. Agasa. Conan put on a thoughtful look and started thinking of how he was going to break into Mariejois; he could offer himself up as a slave, but those damned bomb collars might be an issue, he could sneak in through a delivery, but that was too obvious. He was so deep in thought, that he didn't notice someone approach him from behind and put a cloth over his mouth.

**Meanwhile**

Shakky and Raleigh smiled at the Whitebeard commanders in their pub, very amused by their situation. "So what do you think, Raleigh?" Ace asked the old man.

"Sounds like the boy's trying to protect you and everyone from something that the Navy's stirred up. I wonder what that could be." Smiled the old pirate. "What do you think Shakky?"

"Sounds like the Navy made a deal with someone that they shouldn't have, and that boy's unfortunate enough to be in the center of all their conspiracies." Responded the calm barkeep.

"But what's he hiding, exactly?" Ace prodded in frustration.

"Who knows, my boy." Raleigh laughed. "But you better get to your captain, it's dangerous for children to be wandering around on their own, don't yah think."

"He's right, where is the young boy, Ace?" Vista pointed out.

"Er…about that…" Ace started seating beads.

"You lost him, didn't you?" The swordsman guessed. He could tell by the dejected look on Ace's face, he guessed right.

"Actually…he said to meet up here in four hours, it's only been two. So, he should be all right…right?" Ace argued weakly.

"Oh I totally forgot." Everyone turned to Shakky. "The Tenryubito ordered their minions to gather specimens for the auction house; anything remotely strange looking they said. I hope the boy doesn't fit that description."

Paling, the two pirates started to panic. For, Conan fit the requirements exactly. Whether or not the boy waqs being truthful about his parents being in Mariejois, he was going there anyways.

**Meanwhile**

Groaning, the young detective opened his eyes, and found himself quite confused. He was in an iron-clad cage, behind a circus tent. Feeling pressure around his neck, he move to feel for the foreign object, but found his arms and legs chained. Eyes wide open, he quickly looked around himself to gather more information, and tried to remember what happened. He remembered his fight with Ace-san, but after he rolled away, he was knocked out with chloroform. Observing his surroundings, he noted he was not the only one in a cage, various men, women, and children of all shapes, sizes, and species were in cages as well. Hearing snickering, he turned to a group of mangy looking men, where the one in the middle seemed to be their leader. He had a long snout like an anteater, a huge torso and arms, but like Jozu, a tiny lower body. He and his gang were getting paid by a ridiculous looking old man with long grey hair, and star sun glasses.

"Well done boys, well done. Here's your payment, a well-deserved one to the Hound Pets. Great job today, Peterman! Keep this up, and you and your men might be slightly-respectable members of society!" The man with sunglasses exclaimed.

Counting the money, the anteater responded. "You holding out on us, Disco-san?" The weird man sweated nervously, and quickly pulled out more money. "That's better. Pleasure doing business with you, Disco-san." He laughed and suddenly turned to Conan. The detective's face remained neutral when the ugly being approached his cage. "This was an eas one, send him to some noble with a fetish, he'll be taken care of." Peterman and his group laughed and walked away.

After he was certain, Perterman and his men had left the tent, Disco approached the cage. "I suppose you find this confusing right now, so I'll explain. This is the Human Auction house of Archipelgo, the most flourishing economical aspect on the Grand Line, and most pathetic branch of the Navy. I am Disco, owner of this establishment."

"Conan Edogawa." The detective nodded, only to receive a painful jolt of electricity in response. It was right where his scar was, so the pain was excruciating.

"No speaking, unless if you're given permission to." Disco explained, without a facial change. Conan didn't speak, and allowed the man to continue. "Now then, as I was saying, this grand place is also known as the Public Employment Security Office. So, know that no matter what happens in here, it's completely legal and completely endorsed by our lords, the Tenryubito. Rebellious scum such as yourself nearly ruined this business awhile ago; a sluttly mermaid who didn't know her place called out to her merman boyfriend and his heinous group of friends, the Strawhat pirates. Their captain dared punch one of the Tenryubito." He kicked the cage causing, Conan to flinch. "Because of that, know that any mishaps from any of these cuts won't be tolerated, even from you, young Edogawa. Do you understand then?" Conan nodded mutely.

"Marvelous! Everyone start the final preparations! This is our grand re-opening and everything must be perfect!" The man walked off, leaving Conan to his thoughts. After he was certain no one was looking, Conan unhooked the chains from around his arms and legs, having picked them while the jerk was talking. He squeezed between the bars and then squeezed back in, determining his use for this trick in the future.

"Spst! Kid!" Conan turned his head and blinked, wondering is the jolt was making him hallucinate. Probably not though. In front of him was a talking starfish, with a Jamaican beanie on his head, trapped in a fish bowl. "Don't look so surprised, my name is Pappug. I saw what happened you, okay?"

Conan blinked but then gave a confident smirk. "I'm better than okay, Pappug-san. I found one of things I was looking for!"


	12. Under the Bigtop

**Hey Guys! I am having a blast writing this! Okay, so I took the advice from one of my reviewers and turned Conan back into Jimmy/Shinichi, at least for the next chapter, not sure about after. Either way, it won't last through the rest of the fic. But the idea worked great for this and I hope you guys think so too! Also, there's a mild gory scene in this chapter, but it's fairly safe. Also know, that there's a slightly racy scene with Bonney, but nothing actually happens. Speaking of Jewlery Bonney, I looked up wikipedia's spelling regarding her name, and I got it right! Thanks for all the reviews, and I hope to hear about this chapter too, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed**

"What in deep-water are you talking about, boy?" The starfish asked genuinely confused.

"Nothing, sorry, momentary lapse of sanity." Conan laughed. "My name's Conan Edogawa, nice to meet you Pappug-san."

"Like wise, my boy, like wise." Pappug nodded. "So, what brought you here, to Sabaody?"

Thinking about it, Conan answered. "I was supposed to meet my parents today, but then I got captured by those group of smugglers."

"Ah yes…the Hound Pets, they're a group of kidnappers that go around collecting victims for the auction house, as you can tell, I got caught as well." The star fish nodded.

"Ah, I'm sorry. How'd you get caught?" Conan asked, curious.

"I was with my student Keimi, and my handyman, Hachi, and we were suddenly ambushed. IT was unexpected, since the Strawhat crew completely took them out while they were here. Sleeping gas was thrown at us, and when I woke up, I was here. Oh no!" Pappug gasped in realization. "Keimi-chan! Hachi-kun! They're missing! They were captured too!"

Wheels cranking, Conan responded. "Calm down. The auction hasn't started yet, so I bet they're still here. Listen, I have a few questions to ask you."

Pappug stopped his sniffling before looking up. "You do?"

Nodding Conan asked. "Yeah. Is this place really endorsed by the Navy and the World Government, or are they just turning a blind eye due to prestigious connections?"

"It's both, really." Pappug answered. "This auction house is both endorsed by the world's nobles, especially the Tenryubito, and also covered by the Navy's top officials."

"Is there any documentation of this?" Conan asked.

"Oh of course!" The star fish exclaimed. "The house has to keep documentation of all its transactions, otherwise the Navy won't cover it."

"Why is that?" Conan raised a brow.

"Simple. Half the profits go to the Navy, this is one of the biggest financial pillars for the Navy. Why are you asking this anyways, kid?" Pappug asked curiously. After all, it wasn't often a kid was interested in finances.

"My parents may have been sold here, so I was wondering if the Navy would be any help to me." Conan lied. "The Navy's been putting off the investigation for a reason, I should've known something like this was going on."

"Ah. I see, I'm sorry that happened to you. But what makes you think they haven't auctioned anyone off yet?" The star fish pointed out.

"The owner, Disco-san said that they were making final preparations for the curtains to pulled, which means none of the buyers have seen anyone yet. So if Keimi-san and Hachi-san have been captured too, then they're still here." Conan responded logically and then thought of something. "They said it was their grand reopening since their business was nearly shut down by a group of pirates called the Strawhats, he also said that their captain punched out a Tenryubtio, and also mentioned that Keimi-san and Hachi-san were involved too. Pappug-san, were you there when this happened?"

Looking down, the starfish answered. "Yes, I was. Keimi-chan was captured by those damned Hound Pets, and was about to be sold to a Tenryubito. He was going to throw her into a tank of piranhas to see how long she would last." Conan's eyes narrowed as the starfish continued. "But then, Hachi-kun tried to stop the bastard and he got shot. Luffy-kun punched the Tenryubito through a wall, that boy marked himself for death…but I thank the heavens for him…he saved Hachi-kun's life."

"The Tenryubito…who are they exactly? Why are they different from other nobles?" Conan had been curious of this for awhile.

"I really don't know…all I know is that thye don't breathe the air of commoners." Pappug said.

"Are they the ones who live in Mariejois?" Conan asked with narrowed eyes.

"Yes, they are. It's been their homeland, as well as the Gorosei's for quite a long time." Pappug answered.

"I see." Conan closed his eyes and sighed, he'd have to come back to the subject of the Gorosei later. "Going back to the auction house, does this place keep documentation on who was sold, as well as who bought them?"

"Er…yes." Pappug was surprised by the change of subject. "Each sale is recorded precisely, because customers normally build their status here based not only on how much they're willing to pay, but by how often they come here as well."

Smirking, Conan nodded. "Interesting." Looking around himself, Conan knew he had to act fast before the curtain rolled up. "Wait here, I'll be right back."

"It's not like I can move." The star fish grumbled. The young detective sprinted off and hid between the cages, observing what kind of locks were on them, and how much time would be needed to pick them. He also noticed that each person was bounded horribly in chains, and each person looked dehydrated as well as beaten. This made the detective angry, how could the Navy call themselves just? Noticing one of the henchmen coming, he crouched low and prepared his stun gun, but then thought against it. He need to pick where these thus would land, he couldn't carry them.

"Ugh…" Almost jumping at the sound, he took a quick glance behind him, and noticed a woman bound in a cage. Quickly hiding behind it, the men approached her cage eagerly. The woman looked at them threateningly. "What do you scum want?"

"Hey Jewelry, how about we play a little before the auction? You know, give you a preview to what's coming." The man smirked.

"Scum of the World Government aren't worthy of my presence, scurry away with your tail between your legs, like you normally do when the fights get tough." She growled.

One of them men glared, and stepped into her cage. Conan noticed that her legs were not bound together, but her arms were, this was bad. Smirking, the man separated her legs evenly with his foot, rubbing her crotch with it suggestively. "I'd like to see what's between your legs, is it as pink as your hair?"

"Don't fucking touch me! You do dare try to, and you'll feel the wrath greater than a Seaking!" She spat.

"Heh…" He leaned down to her face, his lips only an inch from hers. "I feel jealous of the rich bastard already; he gets to keep you until you're no longer pretty." Just as he was about to force a kiss from her, he suddenly fell forward and fell to the side of the stunned woman. Noticing the cage was opened at a slight angle, Conan had readied his soccer ball during the man's harassment. As his goons were about to storm in, Conan made a kick, knocking the gate right into them with enough force to knock out three football teams. The bars of the caged-door hit their heads and faces, and were knocked out instantly.

Coming out of his hiding spot, Conan gathered his soccer ball and turned to the shocked pirate woman. Smiling, he gave a friendly greeting. "Hi…my name's Conan Edogawa…could you help me with something?"

"I'm Jewelry Bonney, pirate captain, and one of the eleven supernovas…I'll help you, depending on what it is." She replied hesitantly. The kid seemed safe enough, and he did just save her from those dogs, but he could easily have a trap set for her.

"I need help rescuing everyone here." Conan responded and then remembered something, he hadn't freed her yet. "Oh sorry, I didn't get the chains off you." Bonnie was about to protest, but when Conan literally got the sea-stone shackles off her with three clicks, she was certain the kid was just nuts. "Are you okay?"

Blinking at the boy, she responded. "Yes, I am. And your plan for rescue is stupid." She rubbed her wrists regretfully. "Even if you freed everyone here, we have nowhere to run. My crew and I are starved and dehydrated, so even with these shackles off, we can't fight. And even if we could, the Tenryubito and the admirals will shoot us down before we can take any action to escape."

Thinking quickly, Conan spoke. "What if I told you I had means of escape for everyone here?"

"Then I'd demand to know what it is, and call you a liar." She responded evenly.

"Well, I'm not lying. I came to this island with Whitebeard-san and his crew." Conan knew he'd have to show her proof of what he was saying, and he was suddenly glad this journey left him a scar.

"Now I know you're making shit up, there's no way Whitebeard would take requests from a kid. If he's really here, where is he? Why would he agree to allow you onto his ship?" It was natural for the young woman to be suspicious, after all Whitebeard was one of the Emperors.

"I helped Ace-san escape from Marineford, and I asked him to take me here because this is where I last saw my parents. I wanted to see if I could track them." The detective spoke confidently. "They're at the dock waiting for me, and it won't be long before they start scouring the island for me because I'll be gone to long."

"How do I know you're telling the truth about Marineford? Wouldn't you ask the Navy for help, with your parents?" Jewelry pointed out.

Conan clenched his fists, and slowly revealed his burn scar to the pirate, who put on a look of shock and horror when she saw it. "Akainu-san did that to me, because apparently I was being uncooperative, all I asked was for a different book to read." Pulling his shirt back up, he looked at her in the eyes. "Do you require any more proof, or can we get started?"

"…Those guys you knocked out, one of them, has a key to the shackles and the cages. If I get my men out first, then I'll help you free the others. But I'm not putting myself in a position to go against the Tenryubito." Jewelry said.

Conan scoffed. "So much for living for freedom. What's so special about the Tenryubito?" Maybe this woman would know.

"It's not something for a child to know. You've suffered enough, don't put anything else on yourself." She said decently.

Raising a brow, Conan now knew he had to investigate the Tenryubito. He was about to ask something, but then remembered the time limit they were on. "Fine then. Just get everyone free!" As he was about to run to Pappug, he stopped short, thinking of something. He ran over to one of the other thugs and grabbed another key. He looked at Bonney's confused face. "You focus on your men, I'll free the others!" Nodding, the pirate woman, did what she was told.

Running back to Pappug, he quickly unlocked the lid and the starfish quickly got out. "Conan-kun! Where'd you go? I thought you had gotten captured!" He set himself up Conan's shoulder.

"Sorry Pappug-san, I was trying to figure out how many people there were to save." The boy smiled. 'Also looking for the file cabinet with the sales-records'. He quickly started running to cages and unlocked them as well as the shackles. Many merman, women, children, and other creatures were brutally chained, and were relieved to get out of the shackles. After ten minutes, he got everyone that Bonnie hadn't already. The captives were all anxiously looking at the boy for further instructions.

"They're not here! They're not here!" Pappug cried. "Keimi-chan and Hachi-kun aren't here!"

Silencing the starfish with a comforting hand. Conan turned to the crowd. "Has anyone seen an octopus man, named Hachi-san, and a mermaid named Keimi-san?"

"Yeah, I saw them." Conan and everyone else turned to Bonney and he crew. "They were taken somewhere else, I think they were reserved orders for the Tenryubito or are the opening numbers."

"Opening numbers?" Conan repeated confused.

"She means that they're selling them first. And all first sales are kept spate from everyone else because the first two sales are the only ones that are publicized for the event." One of the captured women, who seemed to be an elf, explained. She was beaten and in rags, and it was obvious she had seen hell. Conan winced inwardly at the sight of her. "They're probably on stage with curtains over them right now."

The detective scolded himself sharply for his carelessness, that was why no one else was checking up on them backstage, the attention was all onstage. Turning to the pirate captain, he asked. "Do you have an emergency flare?"

"No, but we could swipe one, why?" She raised a brow.

"We need to signal Whitebeard-san, where we are. There's too many marines, and we're all too tired to put up a proper fight. So we need to get their attention." The youngest explained.

"What do we do until the old man gets here?" One of Bonney's men asked.

"…We storm the nobles." He said, earning gasps from everyone. "It's our best bet saving Keimi-san and Hachi-san, and it's the last thing they'll expect. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the security guards here have no idea how to handle escaped inmates, and the nobles aren't even used to lifting their own fingers. The element of surprise is on our side right now, we might as well use it."

"But the Tenryubito." Bonnie pointed out. Conan noticed that everyone seemed discouraged by that remark, at that point, Conan spoke.

"Then we'll threaten them." He got confused looks from everyone, this time. "They can't breathe the same air as us, so we threaten to crack their oxygen supply."

"Y-You sure it'll work?" A man who appeared half elk asked. He was elderly and had moss hanging from his antlers, reminding Conan more of a moose. His size didn't help anything either.

"Absolutely. We're dealing with people who are so arrogant that they think they breathe separate air from us, so exposing them to the elements will do more than make them cooperate." He reasoned.

"If you're sure." A man who was half turtle replied, who appeared quite timid.

"What if Mr. Whitebeard doesn't come in time, Onii-chan?" Conan had to hold his breath at who just asked him. The child who stepped forward had to have been younger than six, and she had a huge gash in the shape of a crescent moon on the right side of her face. She was short, tan, in rags, and was definitely starved. This wasn't the first auction ring she had gone through.

Clenching his fists, Conan forced himself to stay calm. "Then I promise to set it up to where all of you can escape no matter what. If all else fails, I'm going to trigger a fire to this whole place, if that happens, everyone get the hell out. Find Whitebeard-san and his crew, and tell them what happened."

"What about you, Conan-kun?" Pappug asked.

"I'll find another way to escape, I've got to take care of something." He answered and then turned back to Bonnie. "Can I trust you to take care of everyone until Whitebeard-san gets here?"

Jewelry looked a little hesitant, but in remembering what the boy did for her, she nodded reluctantly. "We'll do it, but only if we don't get in the Tenryubito's sight."

Nodding, Conan pondered what to do next. He didn't have long. "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" Disco's voice was like the sound of a fly buzzing right in their ears.

**Onstage**

"WELCOME TO THE GRAND RE-OPENING OF THE HUMAN AUCTION HOUSE!" Disco yelled into the microphone. A roar of loud clapping came from the audience, all nobles dressed in things that weren't meant for walking in, and in the seat of honor; was none other than Saint Charloss and his horrid sister, Saint Shalilua. Both were anxious to know what choice of prime meat they could sink their teeth into.

"SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, WE'LL UNVEIL OUR FIRST PRODUCTS FOR ONLY OUR MOST LOYAL CLIENTS!" Disco signaled, and the curtains went up, to reveal a disgusting sight. There were both Keimi, and Hachi trapped in fish bowls, in the abhorred conditions. Keimi's beautiful skin was barely seeable, it was covered in black and blue bruises that litter her face, arms, and abdomen. Her shirt had been torn off, leaving her exposed in her seashell bra. There was a shackle around her neck, that seemed to also act as a shock collar when needed. Hachi was in no better condition, he was shirtless and had a giant bandage over his abdomen, having been shot there again. His tentacles all had been plugged with corks, and despite his skin being purple, he obviously had bruises and scars over his body as well. Both were unconscious, and floated like dead fish in the water. "AS ALL OF YOU KNOW, THESE TWO MISCREANTS DARED TO TRY AND DEFY YOU SUPERIOR BEINGS, AND HAD THIS WONDERFUL ESTABLISHMENT TEMPORARILY SHUT DOWN! SO TO WHOEVER WANTS THE FIRST BID, PLEASE RAISE THEIR HAND!"

Immediately, Saint Charloss, apparently recognizing Keimi and Hachi raised his. "I bid 250,000,000,000 beri, no one else dare bid against me." He said into the microphone.

Smiling, Disco spoke. "AN AMAZING PROPOSAL FROM OUR HEAVENLY LORDS, DO I HEAR ANY OTHER OFFERS?"

"650,300,250,900 beri." Some random man spoke. Gasps were heard through the crowd, not even the Tenryubito could bid that high.

Noticing that no one was speaking up, and fat fishbowl-head was too stunned to speak, Disco continued. "WE SEEM TO HAVE A WINNER! COME TO THE STAGE TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZES!" Getting up, everyone glared in envy at the newcomer, realizing they didn't recognize him. He was wearing a long blue top heat, hiding his face, wore a blue suit, with a red bow tie, and made it a point to keep his face hidden the whole time. After getting to the stage, he waited for Disco to speak again. "CONGRATULATIONS, GREAT SIR! PLEASE GIVE US YOUR NAME, WE WANT TO REMEMBER A VIP, LIKE YOU."

Smirking, the man lifted his top hat, revealing his face. Everyone noted that he was a young, fit man, with blue eyes, brown hair, and had a slightly skinny face. "The name's Kudo. Jimmy Kudo, and these are my friends." Snapping his fingers. The curtains to the backstage suddenly rose up, revealing Bonnie and her men, armed and ready to fight.

"WHA-" Disco suddenly found himself punched to the ground. Looking up, astounded at what just happened, he found himself staring into the eyes of the little boy he bullied earlier. The man smirked, and snapped her fingers again.

"Let the fun begin." Conan smirked. Thinking about how it was to see a woman actually fight.


	13. Saving Secrets

**Hey guys! It was a bit difficult writing the last part, but I managed. There's something I need to confess, I have no idea what century One Piece is supposedly set in, so I just guessed. So, apologies if I pissed anyone off with the date. There's a lot of action in this, so I hope you'll like it! Reviews please, and happy reading!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed  
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Ignoring the chaos around him, Jimmy Kudo, ran towards the octopus man and the mermaid, both looked like battered eggs. Banging on the glass of Keimi's, he managed to get a response out of her. She glanced up curiously, and blinked when she the man tapping her fish bowl. Crawling over to his side of the glass, she looked up at him, as if asking 'what?'

"My name's Jimmy Kudo, can you grow legs if you come out of water?" He asked. Keimi looked at him as if he was stupid, but managed to nod. "Would you be able to stand up and walk?" Shaking her head no, Jimmy cursed and looked around for anyone available to help. Noticing a woman and the little girl who talk to him earlier, he ushered them over. "Ma'am, could you help me with her, once I get her out?"

"Of course." The woman nodded. Smiling, Jimmy looked around for any kind of weapon that would break the glass. Noticing Disco had dropped his cane, Conan grabbed it and whacked the glass as hard has he could. Luckily, it wasn't expensive glass and it broke easily, allowing him to get in there and unlatch the lock around her neck. Managing to carry her out to the woman, he takes off his jacket and places it around Keimi so she'd be more comfortable. Turning his attention to Hachi, his eyes narrowed at the stomach wound, they'd need a doctor.

Turning to the people who weren't fighting, he yelled. "Is there a doctor here?"

An old man stepped forward. "I am, son." Grabbing his hand, Jimmy raced him to Hachi's tank. Looking at the wound, he sighed. "It won't be safe to open up his wound, I need fresh bandages and ointment." Jimmy cursed, looking around for anything that might be remotely useful; noticing there was still some water in the remains in Keimi's prison, as well as fake seaweed, Jimmy rushed over and grabbed them. Picking up the cane again, he cracked open Hachi's glass like an egg, and he stumbled out. Handing the water and seaweed with the doctor.

He ran towards Bonnie and her men and shouted. "I'm going to signal Whitebeard-san, detain all the nobles!"

"You got it!" She shouted back. Jimmy nodded and ran to the back of the tent and looked under the post Pappug's fishbowl had been placed on. That reminded him, where was Pappug? Deciding on looking for him later, Conan dug out the flares and the matches Bonnie had left him and ran outside. He was grateful for the pink-haired woman's contribution.

_Flashback_

_ As Conan told his plan to the others, Bonnie stopped him midway and actually said something helpful. "I have a devil-fruit, yah know."_

_ "Really, what is it?" Conan blinked._

_ "The name ain't none of your business, but it essentially changes your age temporarily." She explained and looked away, slightly embarrassed. "It'd be bad if they recognized when you go to the stage and claim your prize, right? So, what better disguise than your age?"_

_ Conan couldn't believe it and broke into a huge grin. "You're right! That'd be great!"_

_ "You have about three hours in that form, so don't waste it. Also, my men and I swiped to flares from those bums. I'll hide them under that starfish's prison." She told him._

_ Conan nodded. "The highest bid a Tenrybito can place is 600 trillion beri, right?"_

_ "Right. But don't make it so over the top where it'd be too good to be true, just touch the edge a little, yah know." Bonnie suggested._

_ Smirking the detective nodded. "I'll do that, then."_

_Flashback end_

The supernova had been right, if he was recognized prematurely, then they probably would've killed the two merpeople on the spot. But now, he had the opportunity to save them. Jimmy wasted no time, in sending off the emergency flares.

**At Rip-Off Bar**

Shakky smoked a cigarette as Raleigh looked at the bright lights with amusement. "So it's begun, dear." Vista and Ace had long since gone back to the ship to report to their captain, and now the force of the King of the Seas would be upon them.

**With Jimmy**

Sighing after the signals were fired, Jimmy decided to find Pappug, the little guy disappeared shortly after his talk with Jewelry Bonnie. After running a few steps, he suddenly found himself stopped. Horror struck him, for, it wasn't that he wanted his body to stop, it was that his body was forced into a stop. Finding himself, forcefully turned to a small alley between the empty cages, his eyes caught sight of one of the most frightening men he had ever seen. The man was extremely tall, dressed similarly to Disco, but instead of a trench coat, had a hideous fuzzy, pink jacket on, that honestly made him look like pink, fuzzy, echidna. And even then, the man's red sunglasses still radiated evil. Glancing down at his hands, to see if he had a gun, Jimmy's eyed widened when they saw a knocked out Pappug. Wincing when the man suddenly turned towards him, he saw that the man was walking similarly to a sumo wrestler, and found that he was as tall as the admirals when close up. "So, you're the famous other-worldly detective." The young detective felt his heart freeze over momentarily. Noticing the look, the blonde laughed. "Relax, kid. I won't say anything, to anyone, I just wanted to talk to you about something."

"What would that be exactly?" Jimmy asked stiffly.

"I understand you're in a bit of a jam with the Navy and such, great impersonation, by the way. Although, Sengoku kisses much more ass than that." He laughed. "Oh, my pardon, how rude of me; I haven't introduced myself. My name is Donquixote Donflamingo, one of the Shichibukai, pleased to meet yah, Jimmy Kudo. Or do you prefer your alias, Conan Edogawa?"

"What is one of the Shichibukai doing here? Did you want to buy someone?" Jimmy glared.

"Hah hah…I'm the actually the former owner of this establishment." He chuckled at the detective's reaction. "Before you ask, yes, the Navy knew all about this, and did nothing. But this place got so successful, that I gave it to Disco, it was too boring for me to keep. So I came here to see how he'd do on the grand reopening, and as I expected, it flopped."

"What do you want?" Jimmy demanded.

"Actually, I want to help you." The exuberant man replied. "I'm sure you're curious as to what I can help you with."

"Actually, I'm wondering how you'll double-cross me when you have no more use for me." The younger man replied.

"You're no fun, you can't play along at all, can you detective?" The pirate chuckled. "I honestly have no use for One Piece, nor do I want it to be found, then the fun would stop. I just thought I'd do you a favor that would be mutually beneficial to us."

Raising a brow, Jimmy decided to bite. "What's your idea?"

"I understand that you want to gain access to the Tenryubito's place, and I'll tell yah, it ain't easy. There's a bunch of ways to get in, but I could get in trouble with the big guy in charge, if I told you." Donflamingo said casually.

"Big guy in charge? Do you mean the Gorosei?" He hadn't read anything in the files about the Gorosei, so anything about them was new.

"I was referring to Commander-in-Chief Kong, but that also works. In case you're wondering, Tsuru told me what's going on. You could say that I'm a piece of hers in this little game. Which sucks for you, because I can disclose anything to her, but you can't to your own comrades? How rude. It amuses me, that you've even heard of the Gorosei. But you'll find out more about them in Mariejois, I'm here for the same reason you are." He jumped up on one of the cages, squeezing Pappug.

"Which is what?" Jimmy was hoping this guy didn't know.

"It'd be useful for me to have an edge over all the admirals, the only one I couldn't get was Aokiji, the guy's as clean as a whistle. Unless, there's something for you to believe otherwise." He smiled.

"And if I don't agree, you'll kill Pappug-san?" It didn't take a genius to figure that. "You overheard everything we planned back here, and you didn't stop us, why?"

"As I said…" He hopped down to the ground and tossed the starfish to the younger man. "I like things interesting. Now, where do you need to go?"

"To the Human Auction House sales records." Jimmy answered.

"And after?"

"Entrance into Mariejois." Jimmy couldn't back out now, too much was at stake.

**Meanwhile**

Just when Bonney thought the Navy scum were going to maroon them all in a cell again, a giant fire fist said otherwise. Turning to the source, Bonney felt relief rush over her when she saw three of Whitebeard's commanders rush in with their troops. She loved the way the nobles cowarded in fear.

"Oi, Jewlery-san!" Ace caught her attention. "Where's the kid?"

"I don't know, he disappeared after he got help for those fishmen over there." She pointed to Keimi and Hachi.

"So, you lost him then?" Ace frowned.

"Hey, this was his idea!" Bonney raised her hands in defense. "It was his crazy idea to use you guys to rescue everyone, not mine!"

His eyes widened, Ace quickly took off to backstage, now very worried for his speckled friend.

**With Conan**

The young detective was currently thinking about the possibility of becoming a scientist at the moment, because if he's stranded here forever, he'd have a prominent career to fall back on. The tree he was in was fascinating, it looked like a circus-tree stump on the outside, but it was a complex three-layered complex on the inside. Currently, he was on the lowest part of the tree, following a lunatic in giant pink boa. Pappug stayed faithfully on his shoulder, standing behind his head slightly. "Conan-kun…this is a bad idea." He whispered.

"It's what I have to go on, I'm afraid." Jimmy sighed. Pappug didn't know that his supposed alias was his real name, but he couldn't tell him or the others that. It felt good to use his real name again, even though he was technically lying about it. Stopping abruptly, the sea lord turned to younger male.

"Here we are." He gestured to a room, marked 'records' behind him. "Behind these doors, is a mountain of information on the products, buyers, and the dates of sales. It was in pristine condition when I was in charge; hopefully Disco kept it that way as well."

"May we go in, now?" The detective asked.

"Not so fast." The taller put a palm out. "I understand you don't want me to come inside do you?" Jimmy tensed at man's smile. "I don't mind, after all, it'd suck if you got stumped just because you were nervous. However, I do have a condition…tell me whose file, you're looking up."

"Admiral Aokiji's file." The detective answered evenly.

"He heh…sorry." Donflamingo laughed. "But these records only indicate who was sold here, there are no official records of the buyers."

"So, the buyers don't get convicted of human trafficking by omission." Jimmy clenched his fist. He couldn't believe he overlooked that.

"Yes indeed, the Navy may endorse this, but the younger, more naïve marines have no idea about this operation, and would make quite a few arrests otherwise." The flamboyant man laughed. "So, who's file? Or do you plan to force your way in with that tazer?" Jimmy instinctively readied his watch, but he doubted it would do much good. "Don't make this any harder on yourself, you and I want the same thing, dirt on the Navy and the World Government. All I want is a name. What's it gonna be?"

Looking down and sideways, Jimmy knew he didn't have a choice. It was obvious this man was going to kill him, if he didn't cooperate, and he didn't have long in his adult body. This was definitely going to bite him in the ass later, but he'd deal with it when the time came. "Nico Olivia. That's the file I'm looking for."

"Ha ha…thought so." Donflamingo stepped aside and pushed the door open for him. "The files are in alphabetical order by species and last name, and when you done, there's a door behind the last filing cabinet that leads to the Mariejois underground. The nobles and officials are too afraid to use the path cause of dirt, you'll be sneaking into their library using that path. Good luck." He laughed and walked passed the stunned detective.

"Why are you doing this?" Jimmy demanded.

"Simple…it's more interesting this way. And don't worry, I'll keep yours and the admirals secrets. Good luck!" He waved at him and walked away.

Jimmy would've demanded more, but he didn't have time. He rushed in and went to the section he was instructed to do. "Conan-kun! Why are you looking up this Nico Olivia's file?"

"It's complicated." Jimmy said and skimmed through her file. After reading it, he closed it and put it back. Looking around for the last file cabinet, he dashed across the dimly-lit room and felt around the structure for a switch. After a few seconds he found it, that was easy to find. As promised, the pathway appeared, and now the rest was up to him. "Pappug-san." He got the starfish's attention. "Get off my shoulder, and tell the others not to wait up for me."

"What? Conan-kun? You're going into Mariejois alone? Are you insane?" Cried the starfish. "Why would you do that? The others are waiting for you!" Suddenly, Pappug found himself being lifted up.

"I'm sorry." Jimmy said, and threw him off his shoulder across to the next filing cabinet. "Tell Whitebeard-san's crew members to take everyone to safety! Don't wait for me!" That was the last thing Jimmy said before he closed the gate, leaving the frantic starfish in the filing-room. Feeling around the door for the cable-switches, Conan set his wristwatch and melted them the best he could with his laser. Feeling satisfied, he took off in the straight path. If the file and his theory were right, he'd have his blackmail in Aokiji's safety deposit box.

**With Pappug**

The starfish was sobbing over the loss of his friend, until someone else lifted him up. "Gah! Put me down! Put me down!"

"Chill, starfish, I won't hurt yah." Pappug stopped struggling and looked into the eyes of a worried Ace.

"Are you with Whitebeard's crew?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm Ace, the second-division commander." He replied. "Where's the kid?"

"He took a secret passage to Mariejois! He told me to tell you and the other Whitebeard pirates to take everyone to safety! He said not to wait up…Ace-kun…he's going to die." Pappug sobbed.

Narrowing his eyes, the fire pirate sharply responded. "No, he won't." The starfish looked up. "We're going into Mariejois after him."

**With Jimmy**

After fifteen minutes of running, Jimmy finally reached the end of the corridor, and as also promised, there was a door at the end of it. Carefully opening it, the detective found himself in the biggest and most grand library he had ever seen. It was bigger than the front entrance of Buckingham palace. Ignoring how grand it looked, he looked around for any signs of safety-deposit boxes. Seeing none, he decided not to waste this other opportunity in front of him. If there was another thing he noticed in this world, everything about history was censored, which meant a lot of big secrets to hold over superiors. Scouring the bookshelves for anything possibly relevant, something caught his eye. Picking out an old book, he dusted off the cover, and felt a little disappointed. Employment records; boring, a tad irrelevant, why would the Tenryubito care about employment records? Flipping it open, his eyes caught a glimpse of labels, tables, names and dates. It was then, Jimmy had no idea what year it was in this universe, and so he had no way of knowing how far back these dates were. Quickly scanning for a calendar, September 12, 1492. Talk about blast to the past! Scanning back to the dates, he quickly realized these were actually quite recent, now recognizing the names, a little. These were Navy employment records.

Flipping to the back of the book, Jimmy stopped when he noticed a tear in the corner of the back cover. Quickly uncovering it, he found an extremely old portrait, about the size of a normal photograph. It was a group shot, of twenty men in medieval garb, all had the same sophisticated pose that you'd find in a gallery. Turning it around, there was a date, roughly 800 years ago, and there was a message as well- 'Long live the twenty kingdoms'. Narrowing his eyes, Jimmy turned to the bookshelf, his eyes immediately latched to an old book, 'Our lost kings and queens'. Narrowing his eyes, Jimmy grabbed it and was confused. They were just encyclopedia entries of former rulers, but for what kingdom? This world was in the World Government's stranglehold. That was when another inconsistently made itself realized in his head, if there was such a stranglehold, why were the Tenryubito so powerful? Deciding to keep the picture with him, he put the book away, and stormed off.

Managing to navigate his way through the huge mansion, Jimmy found himself in the main entrance hall, and wasn't sure to faint or scream. This was getting him nowhere! Sighing in frustration, he suddenly heard the front door jiggle; hiding behind a coliseum, he waited for the person to come inside. It was some business official, who was bald, and smoking a cigarette. "Time to get myself a treat, from the old box." Jimmy's eyes widened, he knew where the deposit boxes were.

After following him through the halls, and down one flight of stairs, they finally ended up in a corridor of metal shelves, with locks. And unlike his world, these boxes had names instead of numbers. After watching the man unlock someone's box, he wordlessly skulked up behind him, and zapped him. Catching the keys as the man fell to the ground, Jimmy quickly went to Aokiji/Kuzan's box, and opened it. Taking out the discovery, he sighed sadly, he really didn't want to do this. Looking at the box beside him, it read Commander Kong. Raising a brow, he opened the box, and his eyes practically popped out of his head. Snatching the paper, he shut the box and quickly got out of the room.

"I'm telling you, it was horrible!" Dashing behind a pillar, Jimmy looked for the source of the voice. "This Jimmy Kudo, not only outbid me, but got my outfit dirty! It was horrible Admiral, I demand you do something about this at once!"

"Yeah, yeah…I'll handle it…but I'll need back up. I can't take Whitebeard alone." Jimmy's eyes widened, it was Admiral Aokiji.


	14. Black and White Vision

**Hello, here the next one! Aokiji may seem a little OC-ish, but I was trying to catch the mood as best as I could. Also, Nico Robin will be making her first appearance here, and so will the rest of the Strawhats eventually. I haven't quite decided how that's gonna play out, but Conan will meet them all eventually. Any suggestions for that part are more than welcome. One more thing, I apologize if anyone doesn't like the Aokiji/Olivia pairing, but in my opinion, it's a realistic guess. Olivia and Aokiji are around the same age, and it wouldn't be too big of a stretch for them to have had Robin together, not to mention it made a kick-ass secret. So, without further ado, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed**

Convenience or coincidence were the only explanations for Aokiji's appearance here' it made summoning the Admiral much easier. Suddenly, three lower marines ran up to the rich pig and the Admiral.**  
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"Sir! Prisoners Nico Robin and revolutionary Inazuma, are on their way here as requested by holy lord, Saint Roswald!" One of them said.

Jimmy's eyes widened, while the Admiral looked slightly interested. The fat pig spoke. "Oh goody! New toys to play with! The ones at the auction looked used anyways!"

"Indeed sir, we'll make preparations for them right away. I'm sure you'll find Nico Robin's appearance, pleasing." Implied one of the marines.

"Are my services still required here, or can I shall I call for back up, and start the onslaught?" Aokiji asked in annoyance.

"Ah, yes." Saint Charloss waved him off. "Go do that." Jimmy inwardly cursed, he had to do something, before the Admiral left, this was probably his only chance. Suddenly jumping, Jimmy looked down at something that was pressing against his leg. He blinked, thinking he had seen it all with the rich people dressing their dogs. This pooch had a bubble-helmet similar to his owners, only much smaller. Sighing, the young detective knew what he'd have to do.

As the admiral was about to leave, a voice stopped him. "You shouldn't leave so soon, Admiral-san, the Tenryubito need you for security, don't they?" Aokiji's eyes widened as he saw an adult version of the abducted child that escaped from Marineford appear before them. The younger marines readied their rifles and pointed them at him. Jimmy smirked. "Ah, ah…do you want anything to happen to him?" Jimmy held the dog up in front of him.

"Saru!" Saint Charloss exclaimed, almost running up to him. Aokiji blocked him, though. "What are you waiting for? Shoot him!"

"They'll kill your dog first." Sighed the admiral.

"Wah! Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" Saint Charloss took it back, he pointed accusingly at the smug Jimmy. "You fiend! How dare you abduct our Saru! Release him at once!"

"Oh, I will. I just have one little request." Jimmy smirked.

"And what would that be?" Aokiji glared.

Smirking, Jimmy replied. "Glad you asked, Admiral-san. I want a tour of Mariejois, and I want you to be my tour guide."

Eyes narrowing, the veteran marine replied. "You're kidding."

"No, I am not." Smiling, Jimmy walked to the stair case and spun slightly for them. "I'm kind of a history buff, so I love big, regal, complex places like this with a bunch of stories behind it. And since, I'm obviously an unpredictably, dangerous intruder. It would not make sense for any marine, other than yourself here, to escort me around the premises. This way, I get my tour, you get the dog, and everyone's happy."

"I'm assuming, you want to leave here alive?" The admiral raised a brow.

"Oh, that's something so obvious that it doesn't need to be stated, right?" Jimmy smiled. "So, do we have a deal?"

Turning to the spoiled bubble-head and the lower marines, he sighed. "Fine. No one follow, I'll return your dog safely, Sir." Walking passed the detective, the younger man gave a mock bow and followed.

"Take care of him! Saru needs his luxury pillow every five minutes!" Wailed the desperate noble.

**With Ace**

The pirate and the starfish stared indifferently inside the walls of the massive complex. Imagining what his poor brother had to go through, growing up in this environment. Finding, the brat wasn't going to be easy. He knew the kid's time as an adult was almost up, according to Jewelry, and he had waste a bunch of energy blasting through doors of a hidden passage way to get here.

"Ace-kun! We have to hurry!" Pappug whispered.

"I know, I know." He quieted the sea creature under his hat. Oyaji kept it for him.

"Move it! You're property now!" Leaning against a corner, Ace and Pappgu glanced down the hall. Their eyes widened, it was one of his brother's crewmates and a revolutionary. Nico Robin and Inazuma have definitely seen better days. Smirking, Ace would be glad to remind them what those days felt like.

**With Jimmy**

Walking behind the admiral, he held the squirming dog calmly and waited until he led them somewhere reclusive. Aokiji eventually lead them to a gazebo area with stained glass at the top of the ceiling, like an inside patio. Turning to the younger man, the admiral sighed. "You can let the dog go, I won't attack you. It won't do you any good anyways, that mutt peed on my shoes anyways."

"Fine." Jimmy sighed, dropping the pooch, who scurried away. "It was tiring carrying it anyways."

"How long before Jewelry Bonney's devil fruit wares off?" He asked.

"About five minutes." Jimmy sighed. "I missed being an adult."

"The Black Organization took a lot from you, huh?" Aokiji looked away slightly. "How did you manage to cope? Being a kid again?"

"…It wasn't easy, but I managed. Besides…it's pretty convenient. Culprits don't even know when I'm investigating them, I can solve crimes for fun, and I help out hopeless bums become famous." Jimmy smiled, and frowned when he felt a burning sensation rising. "Jewelry didn't warn me about this hurting."

"She normally only has people in the age hold for a short period of ten minutes; if it extends any further, there's often intense biological stress." The admiral explained. "Your life is not in danger, the pain will pass."

Jimmy clutched his chest slightly, and fell to his knees; smoke started to appear about him. "I got something to tell you after this." He winked and let the smoke engulf him.

Aokiji waited patiently for the young man to transform back, and after the smoke cleared, the fake child the World government abducted stood before him, smirking triumphantly. "You had something to tell me?"

"Yeah, I did. But first, I want to talk to you first." Conan nodded. "About twenty years ago, the island of Ohara was completely wiped out by the demon-child, Nico Robin. As well as murdering the people of her island, she posed a great threat to the World Government. Sound familiar?"

Aokiji narrowed his eyes. "I was one of the Vice-Admirals in charge of case at the time. Why?"

"I personally find it a bit strange." Conan replied. "That an eight-year-old, whether she's a genius or not, would be capable of pulling such a fleet off. In fact, unless if I was under death threat or my loved ones were being threatened with death, I wouldn't have believed it myself. Which is also what happens here, right? Anything the World Government says goes?"

"What are you getting at?" The Admiral asked.

Conan smirked. "Nothing really, other than that if anyone stuck up for Nico Robin at all, it meant going against the World Government, which would mean death. I haven't seen literal heresy in quite awhile. I my world, it wasn't heard unless if it were mentioned of two past dictators, Hitler and Stalin." The detective then looked at Aokiji in the eye. "You seem like an honest man, Admiral-san. May I ask what you thought of Nico Olivia, Robin-san's mother?"

"…I'm not sure what you're implying, but I was in charge of her capture and arrest. Which is what placed me in Ohara to begin with, at the time." The older man answered warily. "Why bring up Nico Olivia? What does she have to do with anything?"

"She doesn't, other than you." Conan replied casually. "Aokiji-san, I'm perfectly aware of what actually happened in Ohara." The detective said, patience suddenly warring thin. "It sickened me to know that my field of work could actually be compared to those World Government bastards. There were three main reasons why the World Government had the Navy wipe out Ohara: they were researching something called the 'True History', they sheltered Nico Olivia who also knew what the 'True History' was at the time, and lastly…it was merely because they dared defy the Gorosei." Aokiji's eyes widened. "In the documents I dug up, it showed the transcripts of the conversation the lead archeologist had with Spandam Sr."

"What's the point in looking this up?" Aokiji asked agitated.

"After researching Gol. D. Roger's pre-mortem time before death, I discovered that he and Nico Olivia were strangely at the height of their careers, had everything they could possibly want, and then turned themselves in for execution. At first I thought it was a tragic coincidence, until I looked at the destination they were at last- Raftel. Both Roger-san and Olivia-san fell for the same trap, so I researched her more, and then I discovered your connection with her." Conan spoke evenly. "Aokiji-san, I don't wish to speak disrespectfully of your private life, but you abandoned your lover and daughter."

Suddenly, the room suddenly grew very cold, making Conan slightly nervous. After a few minutes, an angry Aokiji spoke. "You will never speak of Olivia in front of me, nor will you ever mention your discovery to anyone."

"You're right I won't, for a price." Conan smirked and took out the item he retrieved from Aokiji's security deposit box. The Admiral didn't move as he stared at the photograph in the detective's hands. It was a picture of Olivia holding a newly born Robin in the hospital.

"It's not like that picture proves anything." He growled.

"It's in the Navy's private hospital quarters only reserved for the Vice-Admirals and above, and besides…there's a love letter from Olivia written on the back of the picture, addressing you. Your identification would impossible to mistake." Conan reasoned. "There's too much at stake for the Navy to kill me, and I need your help, so you might as well swallow your pride and help me. In return, I won't say a word of this to anyone, even under torture."

"Why should I trust you?" Aokiji glared.

"Because I hold the only memory you could afford to keep of Olivia-san and Robin-san, and if you won't help me, I'll be forced to destroy it." Conan sighed and looked away. He really felt guilty for this.

After a few minutes of silence, the Admiral spoke. "Fine. What do you want me to do?"

Nodding Conan spoke. "Nothing really, for now, I just want information. First, let's start with the Black Organization- I know it was Tsuru-san who first contacted them, but she's entirely against it. I want to know who gave Tsuru-san the order to contact them and why it had to be her specifically. Also, how did her superiors come to contact them to begin with?"

Sighing, the admiral scratched the back of his head. "That's a lot of information, and sadly, I don't know all of it myself." Conan just looked at him to continue. "I don't know which of my superiors came into contact with them first, nor do I know why it was Tsuru that was chosen to be their main correspondent between the Navy and them. However, I do know that the World Government is deeply involved in this, and have been calling the shots for this entire operation."

"Then why was I placed in the Navy's hands?" The detective questioned.

"Most likely because of your intelligence." The admiral replied. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you now have enough dirt to bury the Navy, and you're in the process of collecting material on the World Government. Any of the World Government facilities would've provided you too much access to their secrets, not that it did them much good."

"You'd be correct in your assumption." Conan sighed. "Which reminds me…the Gorosei…who are they exactly?"

"I figured you'd run into that name eventually." The admiral replied. "The Gorosei is a group of five elders, who have been in power for as long as I can remember. No one knows who they are really or how they got their positions, but they essentially rule the whole world. They call the shots with the Navy, World Government, and can even manipulate the Pirates somewhat. Using that leverage, they use it balance out the world into the three powers."

Conan narrowed his eyes. "So they instigate their order through the war between the Pirates and the Navy, and have the World Government intervene when either side gets too powerful. And judging by the way you're speaking, the existence of the Gorosei isn't a secret, but it isn't exactly common knowledge either."

"People know about the Gorosei's existence, but only ig researched and no one knows their true position in the world. The official positions they hold are scholars and tacticians that collaborate with Commander-in-Chief Kong, making plans to make the waters between the islands safe." Aokiji explained sadly. "As you can tell, it's a little more than that."

"This Commander-in-Chief Kong-san, who is he exactly?" Conan asked.

"He was the Fleet Admiral at the time of Gol. D. Roger's execution." Aokiji answered. "He later moved on to become the Commander-in-Chief of the World Government, after Roger's execution."

"So he, like the Gorosei, has complete control over the Navy and World Government." The detective deducted.

"Yes." Aokiji nodded. "However, he's the one who over looks their operations and makes sure things get done."

"So in other words, he's their front man." Conan concluded.

"Ah."

"Then what about the Tenryubito? What are they needed for?" All this information was useful, but it was hellishly complicated.

"Their statuses right?" Making sure he understood what the kid was referring to. "Quite honestly, I don't know that either, I never bothered to question it."

"Or you overlooked it." The detective growled. Aokiji shot him an annoyed look, Conan frowned and continued. "Fine. Where can I find such information?"

"…In this facility, you'll find the answers you're looking for in Commander Kong's office. It's on the third floor, with the tenth door on the right. Also…Olivia and Roger were executed around the same time, focus on that." Aokiji looked to the side.

Conan looked at him as if he just had an epiphany. "You know the secret too, Olivia told you before she died. She and Roger-san discovered the same secret, and collaborated information with each other. I don't get it Aokiji-san…if you knew the Gorosei's secret, why…?"

"My relationship with Olivia was a secret that not even Cipher Pole knew." The admiral cut him off. "To this day, no one knows except for you and me, and for your sake, keep it that way. Had I known Olivia was on Ohara at the time, I would've had the fleet turn around, had I known I had a daughter…"

"You didn't know Robin-san was your daughter until after the incident." The young detective was almost speechless.

"I pitied the child and gave her an escape route, and told her to never to step out of line again. After she left, I went back into the village and found Olivia. She told me everything…about Robin…about the secret…about everything she discovered. She died in my arms after she told me the story; she gave me that picture, the only remnant I have of her." Aokiji explained looking down.

"Did you really not know Olivia-san was pregnant? Why didn't you try to find Robin-san?" Conan raised a brow.

"It wasn't like my relationship with her was intended, I bought her from the auction house to have a couple of one-night-stands with her, and it turned into a full-blown internal affair. Then one morning-after, she said she didn't want to be with me anymore. She didn't give me any explanation or reason, she just told me it was over. And being the man I am, I accepted. But I'm also a very bitter, jealous man who thought she had Robin with another." Aokiji reminisced sadly of his hurtful words to his lost daughter.

"So you also thought Olivia-san cheated on you." Conan nodded. "So to protect Robin-san…"

"I didn't pursue it any further, they had men surrounding her, they could kill her at any point they wanted to." He clenched his fist.

"You also suspected someone else knew and then your career and the only safety net Robin-san had would be compromised." Conan concluded. "Then explain the Water Seven incident."

"I was prepared to save her if necessary, but I also wanted to test the Strawhat's resolve to save her. Call me a coward, but…I felt paralyzed." The older man explained solemnly. "I nearly killed my own daughter, my own lover didn't feel as though I was trustworthy, and I chose my career as an Admiral over what was right. I'm not only telling you where to look because I feel bad, but I also want to make it right. I'm even prepared to bust her out of here, if necessary." Aokiji finished.

Conan nodded and handed the photo back to him, and looked up at the large man. "I'll be a lot more inconspicuous if I'm escorted to his office by you, but don't go in with me."

Nodding, Aokiji added. "Say 'Garp knows the trap'…never mind what it means, it'll make him back off if he's there. Say you got it from Sengoku in passing."

Smirking, Conan nodded. "Let's do this then, shall we?"

**With Ace**

After freeing the revolutionary and his brother's crewmate, they had combined their strengths and successfully taken over a full wing of the giant place. After twisting the neck of another guard, Nico Robin sat down in a chair for some much needed rest. "Good to see you again, Ace-san."

Lowering his hat, he nodded. "You too, Miss Robin. So…why aren't you with my brother? Where's the rest of your crew?"

Frowning, Robin considered her answer. "We were attacked by Barthemellow Kuma a few days ago, and were all separated from the attack. Each of us landed on a different island, and I was unfortunate to land on Tequila Wolf. And I was even more unfortunate to be transported with fellow inmate and revolutionist, Inazuma."

Looking to the mentioned Okama. The multicolored man made a slight bow. "I am Inazuna, revolutionist and follower of Monkey D. Dragon."

Frowning at the name of his brother's father, Ace asked. "So how's the bastard doing?"

"Fine thanks, but refrains from saying bad things about my leader." He replied stoically.

"Considering that Luffy didn't even know he had a father when I met him, I have the right to call Dragon whatever I want." Ace smirked but then frowned. "We don't have time for this, the reason why I'm here is because I'm looking for a kid…who helped me out back at Marineford."

"Really?" Robin smiled coolly. "Tell us more."

"I will. But first…tell me more about the attack. Where's Luffy?" Ace had a deadly look in his eyes, and it wasn't going away until he got his answers.


	15. Tunnel Vision

**Hey guys, next chapter is here. So, I've put a little more thought into the outline, and I haven't fully decided how I'm going to handle Luffy's meeting, other than that he'll be the last strawhat Conan meets. Next chapter coming up, he'll meet up with Brook, but I'm not entierly sure how it's going to go down yet. I also decided to add Smoker and Tashigi because they fit here, but I don't know if they'll be involved after this chapter and the next. Let me know what you guys think, and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed**

Robin looked extremely hesitant to answer, for she had good reason to be. The Second-division Commander of the Whitebeard pirates was staring at her as if she had just committed an unspeakable act of treason. Sighing, she started from the beginning, from when they arrived on Sabaody, to when they were attacked and separated by that damned Kuma. By the time she was finished, Ace looked absolutely livid.

"So…" He started. "One of those damned Shichibukai almost got my brother killed, and the another helped him sneak into Impel Down."

"Impel Down?" Robin asked confused.

"Boa Hancock snuck my brother into Impel Down to help bust me out, but by the time he got there, I was already gone. I've been corresponding with Jinbei for updates, another Shichibukai, as you know. I'll kill him the next time, I see him." Ace sighed. "My brother makes the weirdest friends."

"He wouldn't be Captain-san, otherwise." Robin smiled. "So, Captain-san's alive then?"

"Last I checked he's alive. I'm trying to determine a the best spot to catch him, you guys are welcome to come with us, if you want." Ace said. "That includes, the bi-colored revolutionist too."

"It's best if I meet up with Dragon, there's no reason for me to go with the Whitebeard crew." Inazuna replied. "But thank you for your offer."

Nodding, Ace turned back to Robin. "Any idea where the other members of your crew are?"

Frowning, Robin shook her head. "Not at all, I'm afraid. But I'm sure they're fine; our captain made us promise to live and fulfill our dreams together. None of us will break that vow, rest assured Ace-san."

Smiling, the taller male nodded. "Good to know."

"So about this boy you mentioned…" Inazuna spoke up. "Who is he, exactly?"

Smirking, the fire commander replied. "Conan Edogawa, the child detective who's working to crack the World Government."

**With Conan**

It was as the Admiral said, it was much less conspicuous for them to walk together to Kong's office. Various guards and marines passed them, saluted to the Admiral, and then passed on. Looking around himself, Conan realized that the portraits of the Tenryubito were starting to disappear, and were being replaced by stained glass pictures of strangely, various religious figures. The young detective briefly wondered what religion reigned dominant here. "Aokiji-san?"

"Hm?"

"Where's the office of the Gorosei?" They stopped abruptly.

"Why? You planning on going there?" Aokiji frowned.

"I may have been thrown into this, but I need to find a way to solve this…for everyone. Or do you never want to visit Olivia-san's grave?" Conan frowned. "I need to see the mystery of One Piece to the end, and that means covering every bit of material that's involved."

"…Very well." Aokiji sighed. "…Commander Kong likes to look back on the past battles against the pirates and revolutionaries, if you're searching for clues, check his trophy case."

"...Thanks." The young detective nodded, settling on the other option. After a few more steps, they arrived at a grand white door, with golden doorknobs, a sign that read Commander-in-Chief hung proudly on the door.

Pushing Conan behind his leg, Aokiji knocked on the door. "Commander?"

The respondent opened the door, and the detective's jaw dropped. This man was HUGE! Not as tall as Whitebeared, but sure as hell as muscular! The guy had a bunch of scars all over his face, a spiky mohawk, and a pointy beard. The taller man looked at the admiral. "Ah! Aokiji! What's wrong, m'boy?"

"Commander, I had some questions regarding the Edogawa case." Aokiji answered.

"Really? That's funny, because I was just going to Marineford to talk about that. Come, walk with me. Might as well go down together; no vessel is being spared in our search for that brat." Kong lead Aokiji passed his open door. "Ah. Better lock that." After securing his offce, he rejoined the younger man and lead him down the hall. "So anyways, as I was saying…"

**With Ace**

Robin, Ace, Inazuna, and Pappug (who had fainted some time ago), were navigating through the confusing palace. Despite Ace's good sense of navigation, he had no idea where he was going. He briefly wondered how Sabo found his way around the massive interior. "Didn't we pass that collesium ten minutes ago?" Ace pointed to the structure outside across the garden, at a window they passed.

"I believe we did, Ace-san." Sighed Robin.

"This is getting us nowhere." Complained Pappug.

"Any better suggestions?" Ace growled at the starfish on his shoulder. The little starfish shuddered a no.

"How about this?" Inazuna spoke up. "Let's think about why he chose to come to Mariejois in the first place. He's trying to escape and disarm the World Government, but he snuck into their stronghold. What possible motive could he have had to come here. Pappug-san?" He turned to the starfish. "You were with him last…what was he doing?"

"As you know…it was Ace-kun and his crewmates who saved us, but it was Conan-kun who masterminded it. Miss Robin…I don't know how to say this, but the Shichibukai, Donflamingo lead us to records room of the auction house, and Conan-kun looked up your mother's file." Robin kept a neutral expression, and nodded for Pappug to continue. "He wouldn't tell me what he was looking for, but after he read over Miss Olivia's file, he put it back, and used the secret passage behind a cabinet to get here."

"What did Donflamingo-san ask in return for Edogawa-kun's entrance?" Robin was a very well-together woman, but anyone could feel the anger radiating off her.

"…The name of the file, Conan-kun was looking up…he knows Conan-kun was investigating your mother." The starfish answered nervously.

"Did he mention why?" Robin quietly demanded.

"No, he wouldn't tell me." Pappug answered sadly.

"But it's safe to say, Donflamingo knows." Snorted Inazuna. "It seems as though, our young detective has quite a bit of explaining to do. But juding by what Pappug-san said, he most likely is here to research something. Perhaps a disocervy of Olivia-san's."

"It's a discovery to me, that my poor mother was a slave at one point." Hissed Robin.

"Let's start in the library of this place." Ace spoke up. "There are Den Den Mushi there, and it's a good place to start. I mean, where else would the kid go to research something in this place?"

**With Conan**

'Good thing I'm so small, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to hide behind Aokiji-san's leg.' After walking behind Aokiji's leg, he jumped into Kong's office as he and his younger subordinate walked off. After making sure, they were gone, Conan looked around the room for cameras, but surprisingly, found none. Shrugging it off, the young detective took out the piece of paper he stole from Kong's deposit box. It may have seemed insignificant, but to Conan it said a lot. The item he pulled out of Kong's box was an old golden pirate medallion which had Palestinian-style tower on one side, that said 'Valde quietus locus', or the 'Great resting place' in Latin. On the other side was a collage-based picture of a pirate skull, a key, and a lock strung together on a chain. There was also a sign on the back of it that said, 'three tempus', or 'three steps'. He had no idea what it meant, but Conan's gut told him to pluck it. Moving on, he rummaged through Kong's desk, trying desperately to find another piece of evidence. And just as Aokiji promised, Conan found answers.

It wasn't much to go on, but Conan looked over the documents carefully; they were receipts of business transactions between the Navy and the 'Black Party', which Conan figured from the symbol was the Black Organization. He trailed back the oldest transaction, to his surprise, six months ago; and the first exchange was made by man named Jack Raider, even sporting a picture. Raising a brow, the detective couldn't help but feel as though he looked familiar. His eyes snapped and he yanked out the group picture he took from Kong's deposit box. Just as he thought, the man on the financial record was an older version of the man in the picture. But how was that possible? Was it a descendent or something else? Looking further down on the chart of exchange, he noted there were four other elderly men in the timeline presented. All were exact older replicas of some of the men in the portrait. What the hell was going on? Deciding to ignore this for now, Conan looked back at telecommunications documents; to determine if it was the Black Organization that made the first move, or the Navy.

To his surprise, it was the Navy that first established communication, and form what he could tell on the transcript, the Navy didn't actively seek them out, but they were definitely looking for those kind of people. Thinking back to what Tsuru said, even though he bluffed his accusation at her for making first contact, she didn't actually confirm it, nor did Aokiji. So by doing that, she protected her asset and superior as well as leading him onto her game. Cursing his stupidity, Conan decided to see who actually made contact with them first.

"I hate knit-picking records, it takes forever." He grumbled. Looking down at the names, Conan frowned at what he found. "First communication was established by newly-instated Shichibukai member, Blackbeard, enlisted by the World Government. Information is to be completely disclosured and passed to Vice-Admiral Tsuru." He read. Who was Blackbeard in this world? A great pirate like the one his universe depicted, or something else? He supposed it didn't matter, he needed to wrap this up. He about had the information he came for, there was just one issue in his mind, what did they use to establish communication? Turning to a book case in the room, something caught his eye, 'Cipher Pole'. Deciding that it couldn't hurt, he rolled over to shelf and pulled the records. As soon as he opened it, he snatched a page with a giant superweapon-blueprint, along with history accounts behind it, and two other mass weapons and accounts. The reason why swiped it instead of reading it?

"Hey you!" Conan flinched and turned to a female voice, finding himself quite surprised. In front of him was a blue-shorthaired woman with glasses, a long katana, and a fitted Navy outfit. She didn't look like she was about to kill him, but…she didn't look happy. Huffing, she marched over and picked Conan up by the scruff, and put the unknowingly incomplete file back on the shelf. "Okay kid! Who do you belong to, and how in the world did you sneak into Mariejois?"

"Tashigi!" The woman turned to a tall, muscular man with a cigar hanging out of his mouth. He looked to be her superior.

She saluted at once. "I apologize Commodore Smoker, but I found this child reading files in Commander Kong's office."

**Somewhere in the hallway**

Ace cursed, as he blasted through various marines along with his partners. Really, the lower marines weren't difficult to defeat, they were just a pain the ass. After the wave finally stopped, everyone took a breather.

"He's not here anymore." Everyone snapped their heads in the direction. Robin glared fiercely, and prepared for a bloody onslaught of hands. The others prepared as well, Ace smirked knowing he had an advantage. In front of them was an annoyed Admiral, who looked like he had been through whiplash. He raised a hand to stop them. "I managed to avoid my superior; none of you are a match against Kong, and none of you can do anything for the boy from where you are."

"So where'd you bastards take him? Marineford?" Ace growled.

"He escaped through another tunnel to my knowledge, otherwise, I have no idea where he might be." Aokiji answered.

"Did you talk to him?" Robin hissed. Daring to glance at the woman, Aokiji nodded. "Why was he looking up my mother?"

"He was asking me about the Ohara incident and why it occurred, nothing more." The admiral lied for the sake of simplicity, nothing more.

"Do you have any idea where the boy is heading now?" Inazuna spoke up. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you're helping him, aren't you?"

"…The World Government got mixed up in really nasty people." Aokiji sighed and turned to walk away from them. "Get back to Whitebeard's ship and regroup; or do you want to be burdens the boy has to rescue?"

Robin and Ace were about to charge, but Inazuna stopped them. "We will cooperate under the condition that we are given disclosure. It is obvious that you don't like what the World Government is doing at the moment, so why not call a temporary truce and gain the benefits?"

"…Contact me by Den Den Mushi when you lot are on Whitebeard's ship, I'll explain then. Now go; you're only jeopardizing him if you stay here." Aokiji left. And with extreme reluctance (Ace had to be dragged away), they left.

**Back with Conan**

Smoker looked at the kid with intense curiosity. "What's your name, boy?"

"….Er…" Conan hesitated, not sure what to say. They obviously didn't recognize him now, but they would when his name was stated. "Jimmy Kudo."

"Kudo…?" Smoker repeated. Conan gulped, fearing the worst. "I don't recognize the last name, who are your parents?"

"I-It's my mother's last name!" Conan quickly replied. "I-I'm not allowed to repeat my dad's name to strangers. Religious rules!"

"Hmph! Can't even follow a simple order because of these damned policies." The smoky man snorted. He turned to the girl. "Tashigi!"

"Sir!" She saluted.

"We don't have time for a confession from him, we'll have to take him with us." Smoker told her. "He's an unknown personal in Mariejois, we can't leave him here, and we can always bring him back if his father's stationed here. Let's go."

"Yes sir!" Tashigi followed her superior out, with Conan in one arm.

"Uh…where are we going?" An odd turn of events, but it would work as an escape.

Smoker glared ahead. "To Kenzan island."


	16. Social Networking

**Hey people! Sorry it's been awhile, I have lacked inspiration and realized that I went a bit overboard with the plot, so I'm trying to figure out a way to simplify things, so I don't go overbaord. Not to mention, after the last chapter I had no idea where to go from there. But I managed to scrounge something up, but I appologize if this doesn't seem to up to usual quality. I am desperate for ideas so please speak your mind, people! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Case Closed or One Piece  
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"Kenzan island?" Conan repeated.

"Ah." Smoker nodded. "There have been reported sighting of one of the Strawhat pirates there, it's been unconfirmed of who though."

"The Strawhats' have been scattered?" Conan blinked.

"Ah." The Commodore glared. "What's it to yah?"

"Er-nothing!" The detective flinched. "I've just heard a lot about them, and I was just curious if the rumors were true…" Those weren't lies, in truth; he had been interested in the Strawhats for awhile, especially considering the amount of attention they get from the Navy.

"Well, don't fall for it!" Tashigi spoke up. "They, like every other pirate, have their extreme faults and need to be brought into justice." She softened after a moment. "Then again…I suppose every bad seed as some potential for good."

Conan was about to ask what she meant by that, but then Smoker spoke. "We have to go, there's no telling how long he'll be there if the sightings true."

"Yes sir!" They continued walking.

**With Ace**

"So…we lost him." Ace confessed to the man he considered his father.

Whitebeard sighed. "It's fine Ace, the brat's cooking up a plan in his head, and we'll just have to follow his lead at this point. Besides, it's not like we came here for nothing." As much as Ace hated to admit it, his captain was right. It was obvious Conan never had parents on the island, but it lead to a mass prison-break/slave rescue, he had one of his brother's crewmates that assured him his little brother was alive, and one of the Supernovas had just been released and would head back out to sea soon. They were going to meet up with one of Dragon's ship, so Inazuna and Robin would be off on their own way soon. Although, the revolutionaries would most likely want some of the action anyhow.

"So, Oyaji…do you really think we can trust this kid at this point?" Ace asked.

"It's true that he's lied to us the whole time…but his lies have brought nothing but good and freedom. Besides, I'm curious how he plans to fight the Navy." Whitebeard replied. "Let's see what he does next, I get the feeling we should let him go for now."

"If you say so, pops." Ace sighed. Despite what Oyaji said, he was going to kill the speckled twerp when he got he hands on him.

**With Conan**

Riding on the Navy vessel, Conan could only ponder what he was going to do next. He had no intention of leaving Saboady unless if Whitebeard was his ride away from the island, but now he was on a random Navy vessel, heading towards some island that was probably completely irrelevant to his search. Which reminded him, he felt in his pockets, and felt relief when the material of the papers connected with his fingers. Deciding to make conversation, he turned to the woman who caught him.

"Tashigi-san?"

She looked at him. "Yes, Kudo-kun?"

"My dad complains about the Strawhats a lot…who are they exactly?" Conan asked carefully.

"Your father has every reason to complain about them, kid." She huffed. "They're essentially the greatest and most powerful upstart pirates in the world, they've defeated Shichibukai, Cipher Pole 9, and even resolved Alabasta's revolution."

"They sound like good people to me. Why do people want to arrest them?" Conan could understand if they actually committed a crime, but from what he heard and read, the Strawhats have yet to actually do anything illegal.

"Just wait! Pirates are scum, and that's all they'll ever be!" Tashigi resolutely stated.

Deciding a snark comment wouldn't help his cause, he continued his questions. "If they're so strong, how'd they get separated? Don't most pirate crews stick together?"

"A few days ago, it was reported that several Supernovas were on Saboady conducting business, and suddenly ambushed one of the Tenryubito. Naturally, an admiral was summoned to take care of the problem, but then it turned out he needed back up. So Barthallemewl Kuma was summoned, and utterly defeated the Strawhats. They were separated as far as we know, but nothing concrete has been proven about their whereabouts with the exception of Nico Robin." Tashigi glared at the ground. "But that changed as well, we just got news that not only Fire-Fist Ace somehow broke out of Marineford, but he also aided in the rescue of Nico Robin and a revolutionary named Inazuna." Conan's eyes widened, Tsuru had to be the one feeding the information, it was carefully tailored to inform the key points, but hide the details.

"Tashigi." She and Conan looked up. "We're here."

"Yes sir!" She nodded and prodded Conan forward. "Let's go."

**Elsewhere**

A hooded figure stood proudly at the edge of the fast-moving ship, anxious to arrive at his destination. "Sir!" He turned to one of his men that approached him. "We will be arriving at Kenzan with two hours, sir!"

Nodding, the man replied. "Good. Has the boy been reported as well?"

"Yes sir." The lowly man nodded. "The detective-boy seems to be heading there on a Navy ship, he reasons are unknown; however we have confirmed information he was researching in Mariejois before he was pulled."

Smirking, the man nodded. "Let's see what the World Government's up to then."

**With Conan**

After docking the island, Conan stuck closely with Tashigi and Smoker, it was an interesting place. It reminded him of homes constructed on the inside of canyons where there was nothing but stone, no indoor plumbing, and treacherous climbs up and down to find food. The residents here were weird, they all stared and were covered in black cloaks, and there were mostly men and no women. Conan figured it most likely was from genetics. After following them through the town, Conan was lead to a sight that defied his greatest imagination; despite the fact that he thought he'd already seen it all.

"Yohoho! Welcome navy-travelers!" In front of the young detective was a skeleton man, dressed in a musician's tuxedo, and carried a violin. Conan stared and stared, until Smoker finally smacked him over the head.

"Don't be so shocked, it's just the devil fruit he ate." He huffed.

"There's a devil fruit that makes people come back to life?" The detective feebly responded.

"Sort of." Brook responded. "The Yomi Yomi no Mi. It allows me to retain this pseudo-immortality stage, it sure beats sanding my own bones!" The detective cringed at the horrible pun.

"Enough." Smoker huffed. "Where's Strawhat and the rest of your crew?"

Conan blinked. 'That's right, this guy's one of that Luffy-guy's crew.'

After a moment of silence, Brook spoke. "I'm afraid I don't know my captain's whereabouts. Please try again later, if you dare ask me about him again." Despite the cheerful tone, there was definite malice behind it.

"How dare you?" Tashigi stepped forward. "Know who you speak to, pirate-scum!"

Smoker blocked her. "That's enough, Tashigi." He turned to one of the leaders. "We'll be taking him to Marineford, I'll have your bounty paid right now." He then turned to Conan. "Tashigi and I have business to attend to, stay here, and don't cause any trouble." Conan nodded, and the two marines walked away.

Sighing, Conan turned to the skeleton-man. "So…what's your name?"

"My name is Brook, the ninth member of the Strawhat crew. And you are?" He asked cheerfully.

"Conan Edogawa." The boy nodded. "Nice to meet you, Brook-san."

"You too." He waved. "So what brings a young boy like you, to find a pirate like me?"

"To be honest…" Conan thought about it, and made a split decision. "Actually Brook-san, I need help."

"Oh?" The skeleton wasn't expecting that.

"I'll explain everything later, but for now, I'll make you a deal. I'll break you out of here, and you help me settle some problems." Conan glanced behind him as he whispered.

"Hohoho! Sounds tempting!" Cheered Brook, earning a shush from Conan. "But why are you willing to trust a pirate? Aren't you with the Navy?"

"It's complicated." The boy answered. "Do we have a deal or not?"

"What's your plan, don't want to step on any bones! Hohoho!" Laughed the skeleton.

"Ano…please stop with the Skelton puns, I can't think straight." Conan requested, eye twitching.

"Too funny for your hum-or-ous, huh?" Brook laughed out loud.

"He he…you up for listening now, or not?" Conan croaked, Brook quieted and motioned for Conan to continue. "Okay, I need you to follow my lead, all right?"

"Okay!" Brook gave him the thumbs up.

Conan looked around himself, and spotted one of the island men looking at Brook, running over to him, Conan tugged down on his robe. "Excuse me mister, what is he?"

"Oh dear child!" The man cried. "He's Satan, here to bring us to the depths of hell' luckily, these nice marines we'll taken him off our hands."

Smirking, Conan responded. "Really, is that so? Sir, I have a confession to make."

"What is it child?" The man asked.

"I have been cursed by the devil, and if I do not sail across the Grand Line with him, he will take my soul. I ask for mercy, and allow me to repent for my sins." God he had busted so many corrupted priests, it wasn't even funny.

"Oh I see!" The man glared at Brook, and ran to his cage. "How dare you? Taking advantage of a child's delicate soul!"

"Eh?" Brook cocked his head and turned to Conan. The boy gave a slight nod, and the skeleton relaxed.

"You're lucky, we have plenty of boats on this island, or you'd be in trouble!" The man exclaimed.

'How can he threaten a man who's supposedly Satan?' Conan sweat-dropped. "Sir, we need to start our journey as soon as possible. May we head off, now?"

"But what about the marines?" The man asked.

"Oh…they're his followers." The detective responded earning a gasp from the other. "They're just here to bust him out. But I have it on good authority, that Satan will be put down for good if my spirit proves strong enough for the journey ahead."

"Yosh!" The man fisted his hands together. "Let's do it!"

**10min Later**

Smoker and Tashigi stared stupidly at the empty cage in front of them, as well as realizing the child they picked up was gone. Slowly turning to the moronic man, Smoker asked in a low voice. "So, what caused you to think that a boy at the age eight, would know anything about Satan or traveling the Grand Line?"

"B-But, the signs were all there!" The man exclaimed. "The knowledge of Satan, the rituals of purification, the rite of-"

"Did the boy happen to suggest all of these things to you?" Tashigi pursed.

"Yes! He thought of everything!" The guy gave them a thumbs up, and then his face fell. "Oh."

Sighing, Tashigi turned to her superior. "What now, Sir?"

Taking a drag from his cigar, he sighed. "We follow them, they won't get far on the dingy."

**With Conan and Brook**

The young detective managed to steal the dingy, a small fan for a propeller, and a compass vy the time they left the island. But when Conan realized he didn't bring batteries for the fan, they had no map, and the compass wasn't working, he realized he and the skeleton would be completely lost. Out at sea, in the open ocean. "So Brook-san…any idea where we're going?" Conan asked.

"Nope! Nami-san was the navigator, and she was a real crack up!" He laughed. Conan twitched a little, what the hell was he thinking? Looking out into the ocean, he had to think. What was his next move? Should he gather more blackmail, or should he head for Blackbeard next? It was hard to say, since neither option was particularly valid at the moment. Deciding that it'd be best to dock an island first, and then make his move. Deciding to make conversation, he turned to Brook.

"I see…Brook-san…what's your role in the Strawhat crew exactly?" No harm in asking.

"Yohoho! I'm the musician!" He laughed, and magically pulled out a violin.

"Musician? I didn't know pirates had musicians in their crews." Conan blinked.

"Oh yes!" The skeleton replied. "It's a musician's job to the set the mood and spirit of the whole ship, otherwise, no one will know how to feel."

"How to feel?" The detective repeated.

"Yes! The music guides the setting of the event, allowing people to process their emotions, and come to an understanding about themselves." Brook explained. "Does that make sense?"

"Kind of." Conan replied. "So…Brook-san…would it be okay if I asked a few questions about your crew?"

"You can ask, but I can't promise I'll answer." The musician replied.

Nodding, Conan looked up at him. "Well…as I said on the island…I'm in a bit of a mess, and I need help getting out of it. I'm not asking you or your crew for help, but any information you have would be helpful."

"What are your problems, exactly?" The skeleton asked.

"I'm not sure how to explain…but I got into some trouble with the Navy and World Government." Conan sighed. "You see…I was kidnapped by the Navy because they wanted me to solve a mystery, when I researched the Navy I found out a bunch of stuff about the World Government. In those files, the name of the Strawhat crew came up a lot, so I was wondering if I could ask you some questions."

"Yohoho! I don't see why not! Ask away!" Brook said cheerfully.

"Okay. So why is the Strawhat crew so important to the Navy? Is there something different about your crew compared to other pirates?" An obvious question, and Conan knew of some of their exploits, but it probably be better if he heard it from one of them.

"Yohoho! There's a lot of things about us that make us different from other pirate crews!" Brook cheered. "But what stand out the most about us, is our way of life!"

"Way of life?" Conan raised a brow.

"Yes! We are indeed are a pirate crew, but we're more than that." The skeleton said. "We're a family." Conan's eyes widened, he hadn't been expecting that. He knew Whitebeard's crew was similar to that style, but there was still a structure of command.

"So, the Strawhat crew's like Whitebeard-san's? Huge and full of commanders?" Conan asked.

"Nonono! Nothing like that!" Brook waved his hands in front of himself. "We're not a huge crew, in fact, we're one of the smallest crew's on the Grand Line. There are only nine of us, after all." Conan fell over from that. Nine crew members? How the hell could the Navy and World Government be freaking out over nine people? Noticing the boy's shock, Brook continued. "I see you're surprised; you should be. I was shocked with how powerful they were when I first joined, especially our captain."

"Monkey D. Luffy?" Conan asked.

"Yoho! You've heard of my captain?" Brook asked.

"Yeah. He was mentioned quite a lot. The most recent article I read was about him, breaking into Impel Down." Conan looked down slightly. "I was being held there myself; your captain must be extremely powerful and strong ot get through such people."

"Hoho! He is indeed. How'd you escape from Impel Down?" Brook asked suspiciously.

"Whitebeard-san's crew attacked, thinking one of their crewmembers were there. They took me onto their ship out of pity, and I was then kidnapped again by the Navy. They were the people I came to Kenzan island with." It was a roughly made up story, the boy thought.

"Ah! I see! So you need my crew's help in your problems!" Brook concluded. "We can help you!"

"Er…Thanks." Conan managed to smile, but he didn't even know what to do at this point, though. "Do you really think you and your crewmates would be up for it? When I was at Impel Down, a marine mentioned something about a guy named Kuma who attacked you guys. Is that true? Would you guys really be ready to fight after that?"

"I see word travels fast." Brook sighed. "Yes, all of that is true. We were attacked, beaten, and separated by Bartholomew Kuma…actually that's not quite true." Conan listened. "We initially beat Kuma, but then another one of him appeared." Conan blinked. "It took everything we had to defeat one of them, and when another appeared, we were naturally outmatched."

"How could there be more than one Kuma?" The detective asked shocked.

"…The Bartholomew Kuma we attacked wasn't human…nor was the one that beat us." Brook sadly explained, and sighed at Conan's widened eyes. "The thing we beat was nothing but a robot, a cyborg, and so was the next one that attacked us."

"H-How can that be?" The detective we beyond shocked at this point. He had heard of androids, cyborgs, and what not, but they were beyond what his universe was capable of at the moment. "H-How could that be possible?"

"I don't know. The World Government have always been crafty, old bastards. Even when I was alive." Brook replied.

"When you were alive?" The detective repeated.

"Yes! I wasn't always a skeleton, yah know!" He laughed. "About fity years ago, I too was alive, well, and in a different crew. We were the Rumbar pirates, we were a crew of musicians!"

"What happened?" Conan asked.

"We got sick, everyone on the crew died, including myself. A horrible plague struck us down, as soon as we reached the Grand Line." The musician looked down, remembering the sad events. "Before my death, I ate the Yomi Yomi no Mi. It allows me to come back to life after I die…only once though."

"How'd you become a skeleton?" Conan asked.

"My body just naturally wasted away. After my crew died, I had no food, so nature took its course. I guess I was the main dish! Yohohoho!" The musician laughed.

"So you can eat then?" Conan asked curiously.

"Sort of." Brook replied. "It depends on what really."

"I see." The boy nodded. "So you're happy then?"

"Yohoho! Of course! I haven't felt this happy since I joined the Rumbar pirates!" Brook happily exclaimed. "I must find my crewmates, and comfort them with music."

Thinking about it, Conan concluded that finding more these fearsome pirates would probably prove beneficial. "Do you have any idea, where your other crewmates are?"

"No idea. When Kuma attacked, he sent us flying in all sorts of directions. But don't worry, once we assemble, we'll help you! Any enemy of the Navy is a friend of ours!" Brook reassured him.

Conan sweat-dropped. "Good to know."

**With Smoker**

"Sir! Why have we stopped chasing them?" Tashigi asked frantically. The woman had right to be nervous, they were on hot pursuit of a dingy, but then they suddenly stopped and let a cold hog engulf the far-out object, leaving them out of sight of the marines.

"Tashigi! They're heading for a whirlpool field, they'll be dead soon enough anyways." Smoker puffed annoyed. "Now, how am I going to explain this to those assholes above?" He didn't want a missing kid on his record.

**With Conan and Brook**

Oh boy, was Smoker right! Brook and Conan were hanging on for their lives, and soon their little dingy wouldn't be much more. The skeleton suddenly latched onto Conan, and crouched into a kneeling position. "Hold tight!"

"What-" No sooner than Brook said that, that Conan found himself being flung into the air like a bungee-ride at an amusement park. He looked up and realized Brook was carrying him. The skeleton could jump high, most likely because he didn't have any weight except for his clothes. Panic struck the detective when they started plummeting.

Feeling his companion's fear, Brook spoke. "Yohoho! No worries, someone's coming for us!"

"How do you know?" Conan demanded, thinking he was going to die.

"I just do!" Brook exclaimed.

Just as they were about to hit the water, they landed on something hard and strangely featherly. "Brook!" Conan and the skeleton-pirate unraveled themselves, and they were face to face with something almost as strange as the skeleton. At least in Conan's opinion.

"Chopper-kun!" Brook hugged the little guy. Conan stared; this 'Chopper' was mini-sized deer humanoid, with a big pink top hat and pink shorts, and a blue nose. He was adorable, but strange. Brook turned Chopper's attention to Conan. "Chopper-kun! This is my new friend, Conan Edogawa-kun!"

"Really?" The reindeer asked he smiled and went up to the boy, holding out a hoof. "I'm Tony Tony Chopper, great to meet yah!"


	17. Places To Go

**Hey guys! I came out with next chapter, and I actually like how this one went. It's flexible and allows me many opportunities, but enough about me. Chopper does indeed, get introduced, but he's not the main focus of the chapter. As I was writing this, it occurred to me, Law's a doctor as well, and he'd have a reason to visit Torino kingdom! So in the next chapter, Conan meets Franky. The next chapter will also explain a lot of things, but I tend to forget to answer questions people may have while reading this. So if you're curious about something, or want something explained in the next chapter, go ahead and ask. Also, I've made a decision regarding the reunion of the Strawhat crew- they'll split up again and go do their own training at the end of the story, I don't intend for them to start traveling together again in this story. Thanks for the reviews, and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed  
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It took Conan a minute to take in what just happened. One minute, he was floating alongside a skeleton in a dingy, suddenly got sucked into a whirlpool, and then went flying into the air with his undead companion carrying him. Now, here he was flying through the air on a giant bird's back, with a talking reindeer, who not only joined their small group, but seemed to know Brook as well. Snapping out of his gaze, the detective gave a hearty smile and shook the small hoof. "Great to meet you too, Chopper-san. Are you a friend of Brook-san's?"

At this, the little deer pouted and turned to the skeleton. "You didn't tell him about me?"

Putting his hands up in defense, Brook spoke. "Sorry, sorry, it never came up. Although we were talking about the crew as we were pulled into the whirlpool."

"Mmm…fine." Chopper put another pout but then turned happy again, jumping into Brook's arms. "I'm so happy to see at least one of us."

'One of us?' Thought Conan. "Are you also a part of the Strawhat crew?" The two pirates turned to their youngest companion, who was watching them in surprise.

Chopper jumped from Brook's arms and landed in front of him. "Ah! I'm the Strawhat crew's doctor! I'm responsible for the physical and mental well-being of everyone in the crew!"

"I see." Conan sweat-dropped from the enthusiasm.

"So how'd you and Brook meet?" Chopper asked eagerly.

"Er…" Conan was about to answer, but Brook beat him to it.

"We met on Kenzan island. " Brook replied. "He arrived with some mean-looking marines, and he helped free me from the natives who thought I was Satan."

"Wah! Really? That's so cool!" The little doctor exclaimed. "Thank you Edogawa-kun!" The hooves grabbed the little human hands. "But why'd you were you with the marines?"

"I was kidnapped by the marines, and Kenzan island just happened to be on the way to Marineford." Conan explained.

"Lucky huh?" Brook added.

"So lucky!" Chopper cheered. The little reindeer then said something in his native animal language to the bird. Turning back to the other two, he smiled. "We're going back to Torino Kingdom, it's island where I landed after that Kuma-bastard attacked us!"

Conan blinked and realized something. "Excuse me, Chopper-san. Why were you out here, anyways?"

"I was heading for an island back towards Water Seven to get some medical herbs, but then I saw you guys! So we're heading back to Torino so you guys can rest." Chopper explained.

"Sounds good." Conan smiled. He tuned out the conversation, when Brook and Chopper started talking about what happened to them after they were attacked by Kuma. Conan had no idea where Torino Kingdom was, but he had the feeling it wasn't going to be a useful location for him.

**Several hours later**

After a bumpy and air-sickening ride of feathers and blabbering, Conan practically kissed the ground when they landed. Luckily, his other two companions were too busy discussing something random then to notice his embarrassing display of weakness. As they rejoiced, Conan decided that it'd be best if he read up on some of his discoveries he made in Mariejois. "Excuse me, Chopper-san." The two pirates stopped their rejoicing and turned to him. "Where's the library, I'd like to look something up."

"Go to east part of the town, and you'll find it." Chopper told him. "I'm going to go show Brook around the island, come find us when you're done!"

"Will do!" Conan yelled back. As soon as he went on his own way, the detective found a local, and soon after found the library. To the detective's relief, it wasn't a colossal library, but it wasn't tiny either. Walking to the librarian, he asked in a polite voice. "Excuse me sir, do you have any books on robots?" He hated talking like this, but he could tell this fat moron would be suspicious otherwise.

"Oh! Haven't seen you here before. Are you a friend of Chopper-kun's?" The man asked.

"Yep! Chopper-kun picked me up while he was hunting plants." Conan smiled.

"Ah, he's a cute one all right." The big man chuckled. "The books are in the far right of the library, have fun…what's your name?"

Deciding that it'd be bad if he used a different name, and assuming this island was fairly isolated, he'd use his real alias. "Conan Edogawa."

"Nice to meet you Edogawa-kun, I'm Randy Buck the librarian." The man smiled.

"Good to meet you." Conan nodded and headed towards the books. "Ja ne."

Trotting over to the books, Conan smirked. This was a library that didn't believe in censorship. Taking this as an advantage, he decided to look for anything on the Ancient Kingdom or the Gorosei. But what caught his eye was much different. What caught his eye was an archive collection of a biological-technology experiment, by a man named Dr. Vegapunk. Raising a brow, Conan flipped though some of it, but his eyes widened considerably when he turned to the tenth page. On the tenth page, there was a buff man with a purple Mohawk, and was dressed in a labcoat. The title of the article was "Pacifista successfully developed; Dr. VegaPunk has hopes for the future". Pacifista? What was that? Reading further into the article, he spotted a name he knew by heart now- Bartholomew Kuma. "Formerly known as Kuma, the tyrant, this formalized revolutionary was caught and renovated for modern society." He read out loud. "They actually converted a person into a robot, which means the Kuma-san the Strawhat crew fought…was nothing but a robot as well." Conan knew it was a safe bet that there were a hell of a lot of them too, considering the Navy's economic power. The detective also knew where his next destination was, Dr. VegaPunk's lab. If this man had the technology to build cyborgs, then this guy sure as hell had the know how to hook this Blackbeard-person up with the Black Organization. Looking for any indication of where his lab might be, it didn't take long. "Dr. VegaPunk's lab destroyed on Karakuri island." Well that answered his question, the only question now was how he was going to get there? Was it plausible to take Brook and Chopper with him, or would they figure things out too quickly?

"Hey, haven't seen you before." Whirling to the voice, Conan felt relief when he finally met someone who looked relatively normal. The man before him was in his late teens, had a gotique mustache, had a white sailor hat, thin and average height, tan, wore a yellow-leopard top, and carried his sword casually. Beside the teen was a polar bear in an orange jumpsuit.

"Er…yeah…I'm a friend of Chopper-kun's." Conan replied with a smiled.

The teen and bear looked at him suspiciously before shrugging and sighing. "I'm Trafalgar Law, Supernova and pirate captain of the Heart Pirates."

"I'm Bepo! I'm his first-mate! What your name?" The bear asked him.

"Conan Edogawa." The detective answered. "It's nice to meet you guys. You're one of the Supernova's right, Law-san?"

Raising a brow at the kid, he responded. "Yeah, how do you know that kid?"

"I read about the Supernovas in the newspaper." Conan answered, hoping this universe had a newspaper.

"Ah. I see. So what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be hanging out with Chopper-kun?" Law raised a brow at him.

"Er…one of Chopper-kun's crewmates escaped from the Navy and somehow escaped to this island. His name's Brook-san, and he's very nice and excellent musician. They looked so happy together, so I gave them time alone to get reacquainted with each other." The most logical lie had had spawned this whole trip.

"Really? That's a relief." The pirate sighed. "Everyone assumed they were dead after that damned Pacifista."

"What's a Pacifista?" Conan asked.

"A cyborg that the World Government converts from a human, real nasty stuff kid." Law looked at the articles in Conan's hands. "Why are you asking me when you're reading up on it?"

"I just happened to open the book when you approached me, it wasn't titled and I didn't know what was in it." Conan lied. He handed Law the book to confirm what he was saying. And to his relief, the pirate pointed out the title on the book binding and let it slide, assuming it was just a careless mistake a kid made. "Uh Law-san…why are you here?"

"I'm a medical pirate." Law responded, which deeply surprised the detective.

"You're a doctor?" It was a strange profession considering, his lifestyle.

"Eh. For someone who said they've done they're research, you don't know much." Law said pointedly. "My crew and I often come to this island to restock and get the latest notes from the doctors here, this island is known for its medical advancements. I met Chopper-kun here a week or two ago, and he told me what happened. I offered for him to join my crew, but he turned it down. It's a shame, in my crew, we're nothing but doctors, so the little guy would've been welcome."

"What about Bepo?" The polar bear exclaimed.

"Ah. You're right. Sorry Bepo, you're more useful to me than the idiots who call themselves doctors." Law smiled gently and the bear cheered in response.

'So the first-mate's the only person in his crew that isn't a doctor?' Conan thought. "Is Law-san going to stay long?"

"Nope. We got to ship out soon, it'll be awhile before we hit Karkuri." Law sighed and was about to leave-

"Karakuri?" Conan exclaimed, stopping Law and Bepo. "You're going to Karakuri?"

Considering his answer, Law decided to respond. "Yeah…we are. What's it to yah?"

"I…" Conan looked down, trying to think of something. "A friend of mine's there."

"A friend?" Law raised a brow. "Kid…if you're going to lie, at least come up with something better." The boy looked at the pirate with wide eyes, obviously surprised at being caught. "Look…I know you're not dangerous, I can tell you're not with the Navy and World Government, but I need to know the real reason why you want to visit Karakuri. You see, I lied too. I only said we were going there to confirm my suspicions about you. You want to go to Karakuri for something extremely important, but you can't tell anyone. Otherwise you would've told Whitebeard about this." Conan looked beyond shocked when Law mentioned Whitebeard. "Don't worry, Whitebeard and Jewelry just issued an announcement about you…if any of us or Whitebeard's allies is to find you, we're supposed to help you. We're allowed to interrogate you, but you'll most likely be lying."

"You're kidding." Conan dropped to his knees.

"Whitebeard's on your side kid, so are we." Law gestured to himself and Bepo. "But because we're on your side, we need to know the truth. Why do you want to go to Karakuri island?"

Knowing that lying would be useless at this point, Conan stood back up. "I'm looking for Dr. Vegapunk's lab; I know I'll find some of the answers I'm looking for in there. I need to know where he got the idea to create the Pacifista, and I also need to see what other technology he'd developed in the past two years."

"Anything in particular?" The pirate captain seemed satisfied with the honesty.

"Yeah, actually." The detective smirked. "Vortexes and teleportation.

**With Brook and Chopper**

As the two pirates walked along the shoreline, they began to notice their speckled companion hadn't reappeared yet.

Stopping, Chopper pulled on Brook's coattails. "Brook-san, should we go get Conan-kun?"

"Yohoho! That'd be a great idea!" The skeleton cheered.

"Let's go!" Chopper pulled his hand and ran forward.

"Chopper-kun!" They both abruptly stopped when one of the villagers ran up to them. "I just wanted to let you know that Law-san arrived here and left the notes he left for you."

"Ah! Arigato!" Chopper took the papers in excitement. "Is Conan-kun okay? He's been gone an awfully long time."

"Oh, Edogawa-kun left with Law-san." The islander said cheerfully.

"WHAT?" Chopper and Brook exclaimed.

"He left? Why didn't you stop him?" Chopper exclaimed. "Did he say where he was going?"

"N-No…Law said it was in everyone's best interest if Edogawa-kun went with him, so they left." The man explained nervously.

"You're quite a bonehead aren't you, Mr. Islander?" Brook asked, too annoyed to bring up the pun. "When did they leave exactly?"

"They just left the dock! Law-san's submarine is already under the water by now!" He exclaimed nervously.

Chopper gritted his teeth and dashed forward, Brook followed. "We need to find a bird! They'll be able to see deep enough into the water to follow them!"

"Sounds good!" Brook laughed and picked the reindeer up, placing him on his shoulder. Brook was much faster than Chopper, after all.

"Hold it." An abrupt voice stopped them in their tracks. Turning to the new voice, they stared. It was a tall man in a cloak, a scattered tattooed pattern along one side of his face, and had very long dark hair. "What good will it do either of you to follow him now? It's a submarine Law own's, not a ship. With your devil fruit powers, you absolutely can't follow."

Narrowing his eyes, and hiding Chopper behind his afro, Brook spoke. "And who might you be?"

"His name is Monkey D. Dragon. Leader of the Revolutionary army, and our captain's father." Now a familiar, feminine voice spoke. Brook and Chopper nearly fainted by the person they saw. The person who came out from behind Dragon was their beautiful, black-haired crewmate, Nico Robin.

"ROBIN!" Chopper and Brook tackled her to the ground, glomping and hugging her. She used her hands to hug them back, they were so beyond relieved to see each other, it wasn't even funny.

"It's great to see you too." Robin smiled.

"Are you okay? Have you seen the others? What happened to you? Why are you with this guy?" Chopper asked in tears.

"She can explain all that to you later, we have bigger problems afoot." Dragon snapped them out of it.

Brook, still suspicious of the man, responded. "And what might those be?"

"We have confirmed intelligence that confirms that Edogawa-boy's true situation, and we must do everything in our power to insure, he sees his ambitions through." Dragon said. He gestured them to follow. "Come. A couple of crew members representing Whitebeard, Trafalgar Law, and Jewelry Bonnie are all aboard the ship, everything will be explained to the two of you there."

"How'd you find us?" Brook asked. "It can't be a coincidence that Conan-kun left so abruptly."

"Edogawa-kun actually didn't see us, nor is he aware of our presence on the island currently. We actually started pursuing you, when one of Dragon-san's men spotted you and Edogawa-kun on the dingy, Brook-san. It was a miracle that Chopper-kun was able to save you in time." Robin explained. "Law-san's timing, however, is not coincidence. He has been ordered to take Conan-kun to the next location."

"Do we know where that is?" The musician asked.

Robin shook her head. "At this time, no. Law-san does not want the boy to panic, so he cannot update us until Edogawa-kun is a safe distance away."

"Yohoho! Talk about conspiracy!" Brook laughed. "Let's go then. I looked forward to hearing the rest, Dragon-san."

"And I look forward to telling you it." The man glared back at him.

"This is going to be a long ship-ride." Chopper complained.

"Don't worry, we won't be leaving until we know Edogawa-kun's next location." Robin smiled.

"Cool! That means I can still play with Brook, right?" Chopper brightened up.

"Of course." Robin smiled as the reindeer dragged the skeleton to Dragon's boat. But then frowned as she looked out into the ocean.

"Don't worry, I'm sure the boy doesn't mean any harm." She turned to Inazuna.

"Whether or not he does, it appears he needs to be reminded of investigation etiquette. My mother is certainly none of his business, and he owes me an explanation." Robin pursed her lips. "I don't intend to let that slide.


	18. People To Meet

**Hey guys! It's been awhile, but I'm making moving arrangements, and if anyone has moved before, it's a pain in the ass. Anyways, not a whole lot happens in this chapter, but this is an essential chapter for the plot. The most exciting thing that happens is that the Navy's plan is slightly revealed, Conan meets Franky, and Blackbeard shows up. Reviews are appreciated. Enjoy!  
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Aokiji glared at the Shichibukai in front of him, who was currently holding Nico Olivia's file. Doflamingo just laughed at his expression. "No worries Admiral, just thought you might want to relieve some old memories."

"Get out of my sight, scum of the sea." The admiral glared.

"Don't worry, it's not like I actually know about you're little secret, and the little detective didn't need to tell me it either." He smirked.

"Edogawa-kun got the information form you, you allowed him access to the file." The ice admiral was so close to attacking. "Seems as though I was too naive. He may appear a child, but he's a wolf in sheep's clothing it would seem."

"Heh he…you should learn to pick your friends better, admiral." Doflamingo laughed. "As much as I'd like to see you freeze a kid, he's still useful to us. So, I come here to deliver an order from the people above."

Aokiji raised a brow. "What would that be?"

The sinister man chuckled. "They want Blackbeard to retrieve him."

**With Conan**

This was quite an experience; despite living in modern day Japan, the young detective had honestly never been on a sub before. He just wished they were under normal circumstances. According to Law, they would be in Karakuri within two days, due to the speed of the sub. The young detective sighed and settled for watching the water outside the window. Feeling someone poke his shoulder, he turned to see Bepo, ironically holding a red can of soda. Conan had to resist the urge to think of Coca Cola.

"You want some?" Bepo asked, holding the soda to him.

"Yeah, sure." Conan smiled and took the can from him. After taking a few sips, he smiled. "Thanks, this is the best beverage I've had my whole trip."

"How long has your trip been? Where you been?" Bepo asked.

"I've been many places, and…" Conan frowned. "I have no idea how long I've been here now, all I know it's been less than a month."

"Wow, that's scary." The bear replied. "Why you try to lie to Captain Law?"

After thinking over his answer, Conan spoke. "It's what I'm used to, where I come from, I'm used to lying to everyone, it's pretty much taken over my life."

"Oh, really? I'm sorry, that sounds sad." Bepo responded. "Why you lie so much?"

"…It's to protect the people around me, but recently, I've discovered that my effort's been pretty futile. My enemies know who I am anyhow, and I'm lying to everyone here because it's become easier. I'm a horrible person, aren't I Bepo-san?" Conan chuckled bitterly.

The bear shook his head. "No. You still better than Bepo."

Looking up at him, Conan asked. "How so?"

"Bepo's a talking bear. Bear's aren't supposed to talk." Now Bepo looked sad.

"Says who?" The boy frowned. That may be true in his universe, but that most likely wasn't the case here. Or maybe it was, but animals had the option of talking.

"Says everyone. Says the ringmaster, says Boa Hancock, says the people who used to watch me in the circus, and the mean marines." Bepo sniffled.

"Really? What about Law-san? He and the other crewmates seem really fond of you." Conan pointed out.

"Captain Law rescued Bepo from circus; the ring master was beating me up because I fell off the unicycle." The bear quivered. "So, I joined the Heart Pirates because of that."

"So, do your other crewmates accept you too?" Conan smiled.

"Yeah." Bepo answered.

"Then that's all you should care about. If Law-san and the rest of your crew are fine with you, then you have nothing to apologize for." The boy smiled at the shocked expression on the bear's face. "It doesn't matter whether someone's able to talk or not, everyone's got something to say." If Conan was able to speak for the murder victims he solved cases for, then Bepo could speak for himself.

Bepo gave him a wide smile and hugged the boy to himself. "Thank you!"

As Conan struggled to breathe, from a shadow of the ship, Law smiled at the scene. It had been a long time since someone could actually give his first-mate a pep talk.

**With the Whitebeard and Revolutionary cavalry**

Whitebeard frowned at the revolutionary leader in front of him. He didn't like that one of his sons hated the man's guts, and he didn't like that so many of the man's army was so close to one of his ships. They were outnumbered, and it had a 50/50 chance at getting ugly. Now, pirates and revolutionaries weren't enemies with each other by any means, they fought the same enemy and similar reasons of existence and purpose. However, once in awhile, they occasionally stepped on each others toes- like telling one of the most experienced and powerful pirates in the world the most far-out story he'd ever heard is one of them.

"So you expect me to believe that, the brat's from another universe?" Whitebeard had heard many strange tales, but as said before, this was the strangest. "And you also expect me to believe that you got all the intelligence you're presenting to me, is from an admiral. What makes you think I'll believe anything you say?"

"Whitebeard-san." Nico Robin spoke up. "I know you and your crew must find this impossible to believe, I barely believed it myself when Aokiji told us, but we have it on good authority that all of the information was verified and proven true."

"And what is this authority, exactly?" Ace glared.

Inazuna stepped forward, and got some documents from his coat. "These are authentic orders of procedure, from the Commander-in-Chief Kong, himself." He handed the documents to Ace, who handed them to Whitebeard. "You'll find that in the orders, Vice-Admiral Tsuru was ordered to be in charge of the abduction and containment of subject: Conan Edogawa. In exchange for abducting the boy, a society from the Edogawa-kun's universe, the Black Organization is paying them in some type of biological poison, called anthrax and combine it with seastone. The exact contents and effect of this poison are unknown, however it is said to be extremely contagious and kills like the plague. Their plan was to modify this substance to only to affect pirates with devil fruit powers, and to release it into the air."

"How would they make marines immune to it?" Marco asked.

"Apparently, they're developing a vaccine within the Marineford headquarters. Essentially, their plan is total domination, backed by the authority of the Tenryuubito and World Government. If a person is not a part of either of these organizations, they would be put to death." Inazuna finished.

"Then, I don't get it. Why's he going all over the Grand Line? What does One Piece have to do with any of this?" Ace pointed out.

"We believe that Edogawa-kun is trying to find the World Government's weak spot, and exploit it. The boy is also obviously looking for a way home; otherwise he wouldn't have gone to Karakuri so quickly. As far as One Piece goes, we're still unsure of its relevance." Robin answered.

"What's at Karakuri?" Chopper asked.

"Dr. Vegapunk's lab." Dragon answered. "Where Kuma was transformed into that _thing_."

**Back with Conan**

Conan breathed a sigh of relief as he took in a breath of fresh air. After two days cramped in the sub, he was ready to be out. But what he wasn't expecting was freezing his butt off as soon as he got up to the deck. Honestly, it was colder than Japan's lowest winter.

"We're docking soon, stay close." Law spoke up.

"Got it!" Conan shouted back. Before he ran off, Law stopped him.

"Here." Law handed him a winter coat, Conan took it gratefully. "You're not going off alone, at least one of us is staying with you at all times. Bepo'll stick with you for now."

The polar bear stepped forward. "We're partners!"

The detective smiled. "Glad to hear it. Hey Law-san…" He got the pirate captain's attention. "When we get to Dr. Vegapunk's lab, I'd like to go in alone."

"Not gonna happen." He replied bluntly.

"But-"

"Discussion's over." Law said. "Move out!" He and his men got their winter gear up and went forward. The young detective sighed, he wanted to go alone, because that's how he did all of his investigations.

**15min Later**

After 15 minutes of excruciating walking, they finally arrived at the laboratory; the detective had to raise a brow. It was old, broken down, and looked like it hadn't been used in years. Glancing to his left, Conan's eyes widened slightly when he noticed on old Navy flag in the snow. Law saw that, and said. "Don't worry, marines left the island, they're too weak to handle the cold."

"Good to know." Conan grimaced. "Shall we go inside?"

"Sounds good." Law nodded. "Bepo!" The bear kicked the door down, and they eagerly went inside. As they got inside, Law turned to address everyone. "Okay, we'll split up into three groups. Me, Penguin, Shachi and Jean Bart, and Bepo and Conan will be paired. Bepo, you help the kid find whatever he needs to find on the island, we'll keep watch for any intruders or anything unusual. Everyone know their assignments?"

"Yes sir!" They saluted.

"Good." Law sighed. "We meet back here in three hours, be careful." With that each group went their own way. For some reason, Bepo insisted on carrying Conan, most likely to insure the boy wouldn't run off. And after a few minutes of walking, Conan looked around for any indication of where Vegapunk's lab may be.

Deciding he'd make better progress on foot, he spoke up. "Bepo-san…may I get down?"

"But I like carrying you." Bepo argued.

"Y-Yeah…but I think I'd hinder you less if I could walk. Don't yah think?" The detective pointed out.

"The captain said you'd run away." Bepo responded.

"…I promise I won't run away, then." The detective reluctantly promised. Really, he'd be better off with Bepo at this point; this place was too complex to navigate himself. After walking for several minutes, they came across a fork in the massive complex.

"What we do?" Bepo looked at him.

"Not sure." The detective admitted. Reaching into his pocket, the detective pulled out a coin. "Heads we go left, tails we go right." The bear nodded in agreement. But before they could flip the coin, they actually heard someone coming down the right hallway.

"Damn pirate, absolutely useless!" It hissed. "Stupid Kuma bots, separate um, but don't kill um! Honestly, what the hell are the uppers, thinking with the Strawhats! It's not like they'll talk, so why keep them alive?"

"Let's go down the other hall!" Conan led Bepo down the left hallway, to avoid the angry voice. After running a few feet, the odd pair stopped to gather their bearings. "Where are we?" Conan and Bepo looked around themselves, and the detective grimaced, clearly recognizing the cage. They were in prison quarters.

"You're in VegaPunk's prison quarters." A gruff and nasal voice answered. Bepo and Conan and jumped, and turned to a jail-cell behind them. Conan was getting a serious rush of dejavu. At least the guy was bound, just sitting on the bench in the prison casually. "What are you guys doing here? You don't live on Karakuri, do you? And hey!" He pointed to Bepo, who immediately stiffened. "Aren't you one of the Heart Pirates?"

After thinking it over, Bepo pointed at the strange man. "Yes! You're one of the Strawhat Pirates! What's your name, again?" The bear tilted his head.

The huge man in the Speedo smirked. "The name's Franky, the Strawhat shipwright."

**Meanwhile**

Laffite looked through a telescope through the snowy area he and his nakama were in; looking for the island of destination. He smiled when he spotted a familiar sub. "Captain. I've spotted Law-kun's sub, this is definitely the right island."

Blackbeard grinned. "Perfect."

**With Conan**

The young detective stared at the man in front of him in wonder. His biceps were freakin' huge! He had blue mullock-mohawk hybrid hairstyle, had a Hawaiian shirt, wore sunglasses, had a metal nose, and lastly, the Speedo. Oh god, the Speedo. The only thing that scarred Conan greater than the horrific sight of the Speedo-donned hairy legs was seeing Rachel's dad naked. It was the damn hot springs, single-sex baths. Only men, which meant no requirement for bathing suits. Shuddering, Conan snapped out of it. "You're part of the Strawhat crew too?"

Raising a brow, Franky responded. "What do you mean, 'too'? Have you met my nakama?"

"Some of them." Conan nodded. "I met Brook-san first and Chopper-kun. I helped Brook-san escape imprisonment, and Chopper-kun saved us from drowning."

Franky smiled. "Awesome. So what are you guys doing here?"

"…I'm here to-" The boy was about to lie, until Bepo opened his mouth.

"He's here to get some of Dr. Vegapunk's research." The bear answered.

"Huh? You don't say." Franky said. Instead of asking more questions, he stood up and grinned. "Allow me to be of assistance." Without warning, Franky had his arm turned into a blasting-cannon, and he shot the bars to his prison down. Luckily, Bepo was smart enough to grab Conan and get down. After getting up and releasing his grip on the boy, they discovered Franky had successfully freed himself. Then Conan witnessed something else he wished he had never seen, he was seeing the ever-famous-Franky pose.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" Conan exclaimed. "You couldn't have warned us you were going to do that?"

"It'd would've ruined the awesomeness!" Franky declared.

Conan's eye twitched, and then thought of something. "Wait a minute, if you could blast through the door, why the hell were you in that cell?"

"Oh…truth be told…I was doing some research in Dr. Vegapunk's lab too, and this was the safest place to sleep. It's creepy to be here alone." Franky scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. "So who is else is here, anyway?"

"Just the Heart Crew." Conan answered. "Can show you me to Vegapunk's lab?"

"Sure." Franky nodded, and walked forward. "I'll show yah."

**With Law**

He really wished he hadn't found a telescope and looked out the window, he also wished he didn't just knock out the Navy's top pirate captain was cursing; not only was Sentomaru here, but Blackbeard was on their tales as well. Signaling Penguin to follow him, Law set out to gather his nakama and guest early, this wasn't good.

**With Conan**

As the group walked down, Conan thought several things to himself. One: he already met three of the Strawhat crewmembers, and at this rate he was going to meet all of them. On that note, why wasn't Franky-san more suspicious of him? The other thing that was curious was that Franky was also a cyborg, like Kuma. Did Vegapunk do experiments on Franky as well? Just how many Pacifistas were there? After several minutes of walking, Franky finally lead them to a laboratory of some kind.

"This is it." Franky announced. The detective and bear had to frown, this lab held a ton of machines, but it was a pigsty. It was fairly obvious no one had used this lab in years, which meant there wasn't a whole lot of chance for important works. "Looking for anything in particular?"

Conan snapped his head up at the Shipwright at the question. After thinking it over, Conan asked, "Where do you think he'd keep all of his records? You know, documents, journals, stuff like that?"

"Ah! Check the desk." Franky pointed to a practically invisible desk near the back corner of the lab. "Me and Bepo will check out other stuff. Paperwork's boring, kid; take up a more manly hobby."

"I'll see what I can find." He twitched; first from Ace, now from Speedo-guy. Choosing to ignore Franky's comment, Conan took to the desk immediately, and started going through the massive amount of paperwork. After some shuffling, he finally found what he was looking for. Looking at the documents before him, he had successfully gathered blueprints for Kuma, some historical records about an Ancient Kingdom, and finally, the notes about the Black Organization. Taking to those documents first, Conan looked them over thoroughly. His eyes widened; Tsuru wasn't the mastermind behind this plan, but she had been put in charge of it for some reason. What was also interesting was that Dr. Vegapunk was the one that first contacted the Black Organization, contradicting his theory from earlier about Tsuru making the first move in communication. Conan frowned in confusion, this wasn't making sense; the Black Organization only did things for practical reasons, they weren't interested in ruling the world, they just wanted to change the world. So unless this world had something to offer them, they wouldn't bother be in contact with them. Moving on, Conan's eyes narrowed at the mention of the name, Blackbeard. 'One of the Shichibukai.' Thought Conan. After reading his file, Conan's eyes widened. He was currently in contact with them, and his eyes widened further when he looked on the other names on the sheet: Donflamingo, Commander Kong, the admirals, and of course the Gorosei.

'The man at the auction house…'

Collecting the paperwork, Conan started looking around the lab for any clues on how to get back to his universe. He noticed Franky looking around the room, and Conan decided the shipwright might be able to recognize some machinery or another. "Excuse me, Franky-san."

Looking down at him, the big man answered. "Yeah kid?"

"Do you know if any of these machines have to do with teleportation or vortexes?" The detective couldn't have felt stupider even if he tried.

Franky laughed. "What are you crazy? This isn't a science fiction movie, kid."

'If only.' Conan's eye twitched, but then blinked. "Franky-san?" The man looked to him, indicating he was listening. "Where is Dr. Vegapunk?"

Franky frowned. "Not sure. I asked a couple of locals about him, when I got here, but…they didn't know, he disappeared roughly ten years ago."

Conan frowned, wishing it was twenty, it would've lined up with the Ohara incident. "You don't say." After mulling it over, Conan decided his best move was track down Vegapunk, his best chance at getting home and hopefully get everyone out alive.

Suddenly, everyone turned to a figure enter a room. "Captain!" Bepo waved. Conan and Franky frowned, something was wrong. Law's face was to the ground, and he looked to stiff compared to his normal posture. After a second, he fell forward, unconscious; along with the other Hart pirates that came onto the island. "Captain!" Bepo ran to his nakama's side, only to be brutally jabbed in the stomach by some sort of rifle, that looked like an old-fashioned bazooka.

"Gwahaha!" An unfamiliar voice laughed. Suddenly, the unmoving bodies were pushed to Conan and Franky, giving them complete view of the new intruders. The very first man to appear was a tall, hairy, fat man with missing teeth and a read pirates coat. He had several pistols and rum, the gruff people with him, were most likely his crew. The man looked between Franky and Conan. "Looks like we found him, guys! You're Edogawa-kun, right?"

Conan tensed. "How do you know my name?"

"Gwahaha! The name's Blackbeard, kid. I've been looking for yah." The large man smirked. Conan growled; this wasn't good.


	19. Forced Participation

**Hey guys! Been awhile huh? Okay, here's the deal. I actually managed to get a job, despite this horrible economy, and it happens to be a news paper journalist, so all my writing energy is being spent on interviews, research, and compiling stories. It's actually surprising I had time to update this. Anyways, since I'm busy with work and school now, I'm not going to update as often as I do normally, and unless if I get serious reviews, I'm not going to put in a huge effort. I love writing, but like all of you, I love feedback too. So please review if you want me to update at least fairly regularly. Enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Case Closed or One Piece  
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Before the conversation continued, a large, circular man stepped out from behind the pirates and spoke. "Get these two out of here, I'll deal with the Heart pirates. Don't need scum dirtying up my lab!" The man complained.

"Rest assured Sentomaru-san, we'll be out of here, shortly." A tall, thin man with a cane spoke.

"Tch. Whatever." He glared at the speckled boy in front of him. "You went through my boss' things, didn't yah?"

"Vegapunk-san, was your boss?" Conan asked surprised.

"What's it to yah?" Sentomaru glared.

"…Nothing, just curious." Conan responded.

"Tch." He snorted and turned away from the kid. "I'm the most tight-lipped person in the Navy, I ain't saying nothin'. Especially about the boss; it's hard enough thinking about his disappearance. He disappeared twenty years ago." After moment, Sentomaru widened his eyes. "Damn it!" He then kicked Conan a few feet away. "You made me talk."

"Hey!" Franky got out his blaster. "He asked you a question; you went against your own word and spoke." He helped the boy get up. He then turned to Blackbeard and the few crewmembers he had in the vicinity. There were about five men with him, none that Franky recognized. One was a weak guy on a sickly horse, another was a thin man who had a cane and a top hat, another had a bazooka-rifle weapon, another was a huge guy with a wrestling mask, and the other was in a guard uniform of some kind, smoking a cigar. Each one looked fairly formidable, and the Heart pirates were down; other than bodily harm the situation couldn't get much worse. It was then Franky noticed something on Conan. "Hey kid…your neck's bleeding."

"Wha…" Feeling around the bandage, Conan inwardly cursed, his neck wound reopened, and he didn't have any gauze on him.

The guy on the horse suddenly came forward, Franky held his position protectively. "Relax…I'm the Blackbeard's doctor, and this is my horse, Stronger. The name's Doc. Q, and I am willing to be of assistance to you boy, all we require is your cooperation in return."

The boy glared. "Define cooperation."

The doctor smiled. "It means you and the big fellow there will quietly come with us, and your friends, the Heart Pirates, won't get hurt." Conan stared disbelievingly. "They're coming with us of course, the more criminals we bring in, the more the Navy and World Government reward us. You're part of the Strawhat crew, are you not?" He gestured to a glowering Franky. "Our reward, is most promising indeed, captain."

"Gwahahaha! It better be. We went through a lot of trouble to find them after all." Blackbeard chuckled, and looked at young detective. "So you're the famous Conan Edogawa?"

Clutching his wound, Conan managed a nod. "How'd you find me?"

"Admiral Aokiji told us your whereabouts, little boy." The man with the cane spoke. "I am Laffitte, I am the crew's navigator."

"Aokiji-san did?" Conan blinked. "You're lying."

"What? You actually thought that Aokiji-bastard was your ally?" Snorted the man with the cigar. "I'm Shiliew, former prison chief at Impel Down and the organizer of the crew. You really live in the clouds, don't yah kid?"

Conan ignored him and continued to question Blackbeard. "Blackbeard-san…you know of my situation, I take it?" After receiving a wider grin in response, Conan took that as a yes. "Then tell me…how in the hell did Vegapunk-san come in contact with the Black Organization, and tell me why you're working with them as well?"

"Gwahaha! Those answers are best discussed on the ship. Think about this carefully, do you really want to prolong this discussion here?" Blackbeard smirked, and pulled one of his pistols out. Conan stood up abruptly, when it was pointed at Bepo's head. "I'm sorry, but I can't leave witnesses. We're getting more than enough money for you and that shipwright, these guys are completely disposable to us."

"…They've got nothing to do with this." Conan argued.

"Oh…but they do." The pirate laughed. "How do you think they knew to trust you?" He laughed at the blank look on the detective's face. "If you want all your answers kid, come with us. Otherwise only two of you, are leaving here alive."

A pregnant silence fell over them, until an annoyed Sentomaru spoke. "Hey! The deal was I get the Heart Pirates, yah bastard!"

An idea to save everyone struck Conan. "T-That's right, Sentomaru-san. You're apart of the Navy, right? Tell me, how can you trust these pirates? Especially ones as heinous as these?"

The inventor looked at him. "Go on."

"Er…think about it." The detective quickly said. "Blackbeard-san is trying to take all the credit for capturing us, and blame whatever mishaps may occur here on Vegapunk-san's lab."

"We are not!" The guy with the wrestling mask spoke up. "We're here for the kid and pirates, that's it!"

"You said the kid, originally." Sentomaru glared at Blackbeard. "Pirate, explain yourself."

Blackbeard and his crew were getting angry at this point. "There's nothing to explain, other than how you're smart enough to invent a cyborg, and dumb enough to fall for this stupid trick." Tensions were rising, Conan could easily sense a fight was about to break out; looking around himself, his eyes widened, but decided it would have to for now. Without thinking, Conan ran back to the wall by the desk, and slammed on a certain button.

"SELF DESTRUCT IN TEN MINUTES." A automated voice spoke through te building, stopping the argument. Sentomaru and Blackbeard looked to Conan, stunned.

"If you don't do what I say, then all of Dr. VegaPunk's research will be gone. I know how to disarm the self-destruct button, but I won't unless if any of you cooperate." The detective explained.

"What makes you think I'll believe that a kid like you would know how to disarm the self-destruct?" Sentomaru glared.

"Wanna risk it?" Conan smirked and turned to an angry Blackbeard. "You really want all this work to go, Blackbeard-san?"

"What is it you want, exactly?" Van Argur, the sniper asked.

"I want you to take the Heart Pirates and Franky back to their sub, and let them go. In return, I'll go with Blackbeard and cooperate." He said.

"Oi kid!" Franky exclaimed. "You can't be serious!"

"I'm perfectly serious." Conan replied. "Blackbeard-san. You know who I am, don't you?"

"HOHO! Yes, the Gorosei were very clear on that!" The captain merrily answered.

"Good, I've got questions for you." The young detective challenged.

"Look forward to them!" Blackbeard chuckled.

Nodding, he turned to the fate technician. "Do we have a deal, Sentomaru-san?"

"…I don't like it, but fine." He grumbled.

"Good." He turned to Franky, Jesus, and a blue-haired man who had ox horns on his helmet. "You three take them to Law's sub-"

"Hey, look at this button, it has a pirate skull on it. I wonder what that means." Everyone froze, and slowly turned to him. Conan twitched, as did Sentomaru; so much for that plan.

**!**

**At Marineford**

"Sengoku-taicho!" A vice admiral ran to his office, while the fleet-admiral was going over reports.

"What? Any word on the missing boy yet?" Sengoku demanded.

"No! Actually, Karakuri just blew up! A sighting reported the boy there! Sir, it's likely he's dead."

"NANI?" Sengoku's eyes widened to the size of plates.

**At Whitebeard's ship and Revolutionary Ship**

"I lost contact with Law's ship!" Haruta ran to the main deck to report, which everyone was looking at him now. "The last conversation I overheard was Conan handing himself over to Blackbeard in exchange for the Heart Pirate's freedom. But then, this Franky-guy pushed some type of button and the Den Den Mushi went static!"

"Franky's with him now?" Chopper exclaimed.

"So it would seem." Robin frowned.

"What island was this on?" Brook asked sipping tea.

"Karakuri! Oyaji! I lost all contact with that island, there's a good chance Conan-kun, Blackbeard, and everyone died!" The young commander yelled.

"W-We need to head over there! Let's go!" Chopper demanded.

"No!" Whitebeard's statement made everyone stand still.

"If he's with Blackbeard, then I know where they're going. He's going to try to take him back to Mariejois." The veteran pirate explained. "Blackbeard needs to present him to the World Government for the prestige.

"Wait. If it's on the way to Mariejois, then…they have to pass through Ivankov's island." Inazuna pointed out.

"I see where you're going with this." Dragon nodded. "Contact Ivankov immediately and tell him to prepare to intercept Blackbeard."

"Yes sir!" Inazuna saluted.

"For the meantime, let us suggest strategy." Robin suggested.

"Agreed." Dragon nodded.

**Back at Karakuri**

Law and his crew struggled to open their eyes through the snow. The pirate captain batted a stick poking his face in annoyance. He opened his eyes to a little boy, who was staring at him curiously with his grandfather. He quickly shot up, ignoring the kid's surprise and looked around for his men and the boy. To his relief, his men were all completely accounted for, but no Sentomaru, no Strawhat crew member, and new kid-detective. Turning back to the locals, Law asked. "Hey what happened just now?"

"You don't remember mister?" The boy asked. "Some flaming monster carried you guys here, and ran off after some pirate ship."

"Did you see anyone else?" Law asked desperately.

"No." The boy shook his head. "The flaming monster ran here with you guys, but we didn't see anyone else."

"You should come inside lad. You and your crew must be freezing." The old man gestured.

"Ah. How long ago was this?" Law asked.

"We just got here when you guys arrived, so not sure." The boy said.

"I see. May we use your Den Den Mushi." Law clutched his sword. The worst-case scenario just happened, Conan had been captured by Blackbeard.

**On Blackbeard's Ship**

After struggling to open his eyes, Conan looked up and around himself. He was on a basic hammock with a thin blanket over himself, behind bars, and recognized the familiar movement of a ship rocking back and forth. He noted that his wound from Akainu had been freshly dressed, and he had bandages over his abdomen and parts of his legs. He was dressed in old raggy seat pants, and a t-shirt with an anchor on it. Luckily his glasses were in tack. Crap! His belt! He looked around for it frantically.

"Looking for this?" The detective shot up at the voice and saw a broad and tall woman, who had an appearance of Baga Yaga. She spun his belt around casually as he stared at it in dismay. "Your friend, Gin told us to get this away from you, or there'd be trouble for us."

Narrowing his eyes, Conan demanded. "Who are you?"

"Calm down, no need to be so hostile." She laughed. "I'm Catarina Devon, proud member of the Blackbeard crew."

"Where are you taking me? What is your captain planning?" Conan demanded.

"That's no way to thank a person who helped convince the captain dress your wounds. You got a nasty burn mark from Akainu, after all." To the boy's surprise, a sickly man on a sickly horse came out of the shadows. "I'm Doc. Q, this is my horse, Stronger. The crew's doctor."

"Well, shouldn't you thank us?" Catarina gave toothy grin.

Deciding that cooperation was his best option, he nodded his head sarcastically. "Thank you oh-so-much for your kindness."

"That's better." She laughed. "Now then, we probably should get down to business, how captain?"

"Couldn't agree more." Blackbeard came down from above deck, and faced the detective-boy again. "Good to see you awake, Edogawa-kun. We thought you were dead after that explosion."

"Explosion…" Conan's eyes widened when the events came back to him. He ran up to the bars of the cage and grabbed them desperately. "How long was I out? Where are Law-san and the other?"

"The supernova and his crew got separated from us in consequence of the explosion; the poor boy probably thinks you're dead." Conan turned to his right and saw Jesus, Laffitte, and Augur standing off to the side casually. The sniper continued. "We do, on the other hand…have people you know."

A light came on in the cage across from Conan, he stared and his eyes grew wide with horror. There were Franky and Sentomaru, unconscious and hurt, as well as blue, chained up in shackles. As the detective observed, he realized that neither had been treated from the blast, and also noting the frost bite and burn marks on each of them. Franky's face had practically melted off. "Franky-san! Sentomaru-san!"

"Here's how it's going to work." Conan then noticed Shiliew smoking a cigar next to Franky. "We're going to ask questions, and you're going to answer them. For every question you get right or being truthful, we'll treat an injury of their's, starting with their frostbite."

"But I you answer us falsely for any reason." Conan turned to a large man with blue hair, and looked like a Viking almost. "We make their injuries worse. Me and Shiliew are known for our torture to say the least." Noting the boy didn't recognize him, he smirked. "I'm Avalo Pizzaro, first-mate of the Blackbeard crew."

"…They're not with me. What makes you think I'll cooperate with people who will most likely kill me anyways, for people I don't even know?" Conan managed to ask.

"Really? You don't care?" Shiliew to his cigar and smeared it into Franky's skin, causing his body to wince.

"STOP!" Conan yelled. "I get it! I'll cooperate, I swear!"

Smiling in satisfaction, the prison guard smirked. "Good. We understand each other. Now then…shall we begin?"

"What do you want to know?" Conan asked.

"Tell us where One Piece is, and we'll become your allies against the Black Organization!" Blackbeard declared.


	20. Through Blood and Tears

**Sorry it took me so long to update! No one was reviewing, and I had term papers and articles to write, so sorry! So the reason why I had so much trouble with this chapter is because, I honestly don't have much experience writing torture scenes, and especially find it hard to do with characters I like. So, in a random burst of inspiration and some mild research into medieval and pirate torturing, I finally wrote the chapter. I'm not entirely sure what'll happen next, but Conan will survive, I promise! Also, you'll notice a whip that Shiliew is using called the 'Nine-tail Cat', no it's not a rip-off from Naruto, it's the actual name of the weapon used to torture people back in the old days. Look it up, if you don't believe me. So anyways, enjoy the bloodiest chapter so far!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Case Closed or One Piece**

**On Blackbeard's Ship**

After struggling to open his eyes, Conan looked up and around himself. He was on a basic hammock with a thin blanket over himself, behind bars, and recognized the familiar movement of a ship rocking back and forth. He noted that his wound from Akainu had been freshly dressed, and he had bandages over his abdomen and parts of his legs. He was dressed in old raggy seat pants, and a t-shirt with an anchor on it. Luckily his glasses were in tack. Crap! His belt! He looked around for it frantically.

"Looking for this?" The detective shot up at the voice and saw a broad and tall woman, who had an appearance of Baga Yaga. She spun his belt around casually as he stared at it in dismay. "Your friend, Gin told us to get this away from you, or there'd be trouble for us."

Narrowing his eyes, Conan demanded. "Who are you?"

"Calm down, no need to be so hostile." She laughed. "I'm Catarina Devon, proud member of the Blackbeard crew."

"Where are you taking me? What is your captain planning?" Conan demanded.

"That's no way to thank a person who helped convince the captain dress your wounds. You got a nasty burn mark from Akainu, after all." To the boy's surprise, a sickly man on a sickly horse came out of the shadows. "I'm Doc. Q, this is my horse, Stronger. The crew's doctor."

"Well, shouldn't you thank us?" Catarina gave toothy grin.

Deciding that cooperation was his best option, he nodded his head. "Thank you oh-so-much for your kindness."

"That's better." She laughed. "Now then, we probably should get down to business, how captain?"

"Couldn't agree more." Blackbeard came down from above deck, and faced the detective-boy again. "Good to see you awake, Edogawa-kun. We thought you were dead after that explosion."

"Explosion…" Conan's eyes widened when the events came back to him. He ran up to the bars of the cage and grabbed them desperately. "How long was I out? Where are Law-san and the other?"

"The supernova and his crew got separated from us in consequence of the explosion; the poor boy probably thinks you're dead." Conan turned to his right and saw Jesus, Laffitte, and Augur standing off to the side casually. The sniper continued. "We do, on the other hand…have people you know."

A light came on in the cage across from Conan, he stared and his eyes grew wide with horror. There were Franky and Sentomaru, unconscious and hurt, as well as blue, chained up in shackles. As the detective observed, he realized that neither had been treated from the blast, and also noting the frost bite and burn marks on each of them. Franky's face had practically melted off. "Franky-san! Sentomaru-san!"

"Here's how it's going to work." Conan then noticed Shiliew smoking a cigar next to Franky. "We're going to ask questions, and you're going to answer them. For every question you get right or being truthful, we'll treat an injury of their's, starting with their frostbite."

"But I you answer us falsely for any reason." Conan turned to a large man with blue hair, and looked like a Viking almost. "We make their injuries worse. Me and Shiliew are known for our torture to say the least." Noting the boy didn't recognize him, he smirked. "I'm Avalo Pizzaro, first-mate of the Blackbeard crew."

"…They're not with me. What makes you think I'll cooperate with people who will most likely kill me anyways, for people I don't even know?" Conan managed to ask.

"Really? You don't care?" Shiliew to his cigar and smeared it into Franky's skin, causing his body to wince.

"STOP!" Conan yelled. "I get it! I'll cooperate, I swear!"

Smiling in satisfaction, the prison guard smirked. "Good. We understand each other. Now then…shall we begin?"

"What do you want to know?" Conan asked.

"Tell us where One Piece is, and we'll become your allies against the Black Organization!" Blackbeard declared.

"You're kidding right?" Conan couldn't believe what he just heard. "What the hell makes you think I'll believe you?"

"GHA!" Sentomaru suddenly shrieked from being zapped with a cattle prod. The mechanic was hyperventilating and looking around frantically. "What the hell's going on?"

"Sentomaru-san!" Conan yelled.

"Now, now…let's calm down." Shiliew smirked. "I think you still don't quite understand Edogawa-kun."

"You're our prisoner." Continued Catarina. "We control whether all of you live or die. Which means…we don't have to make any deals or assurances with you."

"So it's best if you just cooperate with us, little boy." Laffitte finished.

"Otherwise, your companions are going to get very hurt here." Avalo added.

"I don't know them." Conan said desperately.

"Doesn't matter." Van Augur said. "According to the Black Organization, your prime concern in any case is the civilians' well being. Neither of them are exactly citizens, however…if they were to die because of your shortcomings, that'd be the same thing, now wouldn't it?"

"…What if you just kill them even after I tell you?" The detective pointed out.

"That'd be no good for us." Conan turned to another member he hadn't seen before. There was disgusting man replicating a pink elephant seal to the left of his stall. "He he…I'm Vasco Shot."

"Franky-san here is one of the Strawhats and Sentomaru is too useful to the Navy for them to let him go. Even after you tell us everything, we'll still have use for all of them. Including you." Laffitte explained.

"What do you mean?" The boy asked.

"Well…we're essentially selling you off." Laffitte twirled his hat. "A bidding war between the Black Organization and the World Government. Whoever gives us the most money gets you."

"Clever." Conan twitched. Sighing, he knew that cooperation would be the best chance to increase their survival. "So…you wanted to know where One Piece was?"

"YES! Tell us where Roger hid his legendary treasure!" Blackbeard cheered.

Avalo and Shiliew positioned their cattle prods over Conan companions. Sentomaru looked too disoriented and scared to say anything, he just stared helplessly at the little boy who controlled his fate. Conan looked back at Sentomaru with resign, but answered anyways. "Through research and provided sources from the Navy, I established a basic profile of Roger-san and actually established where the treasure would most likely be hidden. Roger-san was a clever man, who was determined to keep the Pirates alive until the very end, and he obviously planned his successor to carry that responsibility as well. So the island of choice is actually very fitting."

"It's on Raftel right?" Jesus asked.

"No, it's on Sabaody." Conan looked up sharply at all of them. "It's under Mariejois, where the ancient kingdom is located."

"Ho! That makes sense!" Laffitte clapped his hands together. "Captain! It's in the one place where no one would think to look, and Roger committed the ultimate mockery of the World Government and Navy before he died! Isn't that great?"

"I don't know…" Jesus scratched his chin. "What do you think Shiliew?"

"Actually…they've never let us down there. It all makes sense now." The former prison guard smirked.

"Wow! Great deductions kid!" The wrestler cheered.

"So you're satisfied with your answer?" Conan asked carefully.

"Gwahahaha! Laffitte, set course for Sabaody!" Blackbeard cheered.

"Yes sir!" He saluted and headed off.

"Come men! Let's go have a drink!" Blackbeard was about to lead his men away, but was soon stop.

"WAIT!" Conan shouted, stopping the men. "I have questions for all of you. Now answer them as you promised."

"Oh yes, we did promise didn't we? How rude." Van Augur responded casually. "So, what are your questions?"

"First of all, how did the Black Organization first come into contact with this world to begin with?" That was the main question he had.

"Gwahahaha! We don't know the exact method either, we just know they used some of the research Vegapunk used." Sentomaru glared at Blackbeard for mentioning his master's work. "We just know they made contact with the Gorosei first, and the Gorosei dispensed orders from there."

"Who are the Gorosei exactly?" There were these people mentioned again. Now it was time to figure out who they were.

"You mean you don't know?" Blackbeard laughed. "They're the people who rule the world!"

"Excuse me?" Conan was sure he misunderstood.

"You heard our captain." Van Augur continued. "The Gorosei are a group of five elders that have supreme authority over the world, and work to preserve the order of the world by managing the three world powers." Conan's eyes widened, Tsuru mentioned that when he first got here. "Which as you know by now are the Navy, the Pirates, and the World Government. By keeping these three powers in check, the preserve the need and order for each side."

"What do you mean by preserving?" Conan asked carefully.

"You've done your research; you obviously have a pretty good idea of what the Gorosei has done in the past. They essentially tailor conflicts and executions to happen at specific points in time, so the world will continue needing the three powers." The sniper explained.

"T-That doesn't make sense! The pirates would never follow the World Government willingly! Let alone the Gorosei!" Conan exclaimed.

"That's because only the Shichibukai are truly aware of the true nature regarding the way the world is ruled." Van Augur replied. "They use the seven warlords as proxies to keep track of the pirates' movements. And as you suspected, no one but very top people in the Navy know this as well. Other than that, the only people off the top of my head that would know about this other than us, would be the Revolutionary army."

"The Revolutionary army?" Conan repeated confused. That's a new one.

"Oh? You haven't heard of them?" The sniper raised a brow in surprise. "They're a group of individuals who aren't pirates, but are still fighting against the World Government's supreme order. It is lead by Monkey D. Dragon, the world's most dangerous criminal."

"And they're not a superpower of the world?" Conan clarified.

"Nope, just a bunch of hooligans causing trouble." Laffitte smiled. "Did we clear things up?"

"This barely makes sense, how'd these people come into power?" Conan asked.

"No one knows." Jesus laughed. "All we know is that these old bastards are damned afraid of change. That's why they contacted the Black Organization."

"Explain." Conan narrowed his eyes.

"It was two years ago that Dr. VegaPunk proposed the theory of multiple universes existing, and that all of existence beyond our universe is full of life besides out own realm of reality. Of course, none of us believed it at first, but then he actually presented proof to us. Look, I'm sure you recognize what this, don't you?" Laffitte pulled out a cell phone, which the detective seemed shocked by. "This device, a cell phone, as you people call it, gave absolute proof to the World Government that other worlds existed, and it was just about breaking into them."

"Y-You bastards are actually planning to invade our world?" Conan was shocked. "E-Explain yourself! That still doesn't make sense! What does One Piece or anything of what you just said have to do with this?"

"Easy, easy…I'm getting to that." The dancer raised his hands in front of himself. "Dr. Vegapunk was ordered to setup a meeting between the Gorosei and his contacts from your world, who happened to be the Black Organization. I don't know the details of the conversation, but apparently, in exchange for sending you here, as well as disposing of you once you decipher One Piece's location, the Navy was to give them a supply of carefully selected logia-fruits, as well as military weapons made by Vegapunk himself."

"You can't be doing all this for a treasure that only _supposedly_ exists." Conan glared.

"Ah. So you doubt the legend too, despite the extensive research you've done; well you're right. The World Government is getting more than just Roger's final wish- it's getting the formula that turned you into a boy, as well as several crates of modern machine guns that have yet to come about in this world. Fascinating isn't it?" The dancer smiled.

Conan clenched his fists. "What the hell makes you think I'm cooperating in any of this now?"

"GWAHAHA! That's the thing kid, when you divulged the location of One Piece, you gave away your only use to us. We can just get rid of you now. Oi Jesus! Get some rope and cement blocks!" Blackbeard smirked. Conan looked horrified and backed away.

"Wait captain." Shiliew spoke up for the first time in awhile. He lit a cigar, and was still standing behind the still unconscious Franky. Sentomaru had been lost some time ago. The former prison guard stared at their guest sadistically. "It's easily possible that he's hiding more from us, we don't want to leave any details do we? I request permission to interrogate him, sir."

"GWAHAHA! Do as you like, Shiliew! Let's give him some privacy men! I don't want this kid's blood all over me!" Blackbeard and his crew laughed as they left the room, leaving Shiliew, Conan, Franky, and Sentomaru.

"Saa…shall we begin?" Shiliew put on a sadistic smirk, and walked calmly over to a cabinet. Conan suddenly became very afraid for their situation; he may have given them false information, but they didn't know that! He just inadvertently made himself and his two fellow captives disposable. Shiliew then brought out three tools: a spiked metal collar with an adjustable screw, a shock collar (at least that's what it looked like), and a small but extremely sharp axe. Seeing the look of fear on the kid's face, and the anxiety of Sentomaru's the sadistic guard felt pleasure. "Don't worry, I'm going to start with them, you'll be last…Kudo-kun." He went into Sentomaru and Franky's cell and gripped Sentomaru's face, forcing him to look at him. "I've always wanted to do this Sentomaru, you and that damned doctor were going to make robots, that put good guards like me out of a job."

"Go to hell Shiliew!" The inventor spat in the guard's face. Shiliew smiled, and roughly rammed the spiked collar over Sentomaru's head and started tightening the bolts. He tightened it to the point where the inventor's thick neck was turning blue, and blood was starting burst out of the veins from the small pricks of the spine. Conan's eyes widened, his circulation to his brain was being cut off!

"Stop! You'll kill him!" Conan exclaimed, panicking.

"You're going to end up dead anyways kid, it's how you get there that counts." Shiliew then started whipping the poor man with a nine-tail cat (a whip with nine knots), leaving marks over his body. One of the tails, which had a metal hook, got caught on Sentormaru's earlobe, and with a smirk, Shiliew yanked viciously and it was torn clean off. Blood poured from Sentomaru's head as the ear hung limply from the bloody whip. The young detective had seen many things, but even he was about to throw up. He researched medieval and pirate torture techniques for fun occasionally, he imagined the hell the victim was put through, but he now understood the undeniable psychological horror in the back of their minds. The young detective was snapped out of it, when he moved onto Franky.

The cyborg man was still slightly unconscious, but through the sound of the whips Sentomaru got, he was slightly awoken. Conan cringed at Franky's appearance, his whole body was burned from the explosion on Karakuri, making him bald, and blackened like charcoal; the detective now noticed the smell of burning skin. He stole a glance back to Sentomaru, and his eyes widened with panic, the spikes were completely into his neck, slowly cutting off his circulation and air supply. He turned anxiously back to Franky, who had the damned shock collar placed on him. Shiliew then went behind the two men, and got something else out- two sponges attached to metal prongs. The young detective knew exactly what they were used for, but since Franky was a cyborg…it was going to be a slow, malfunctioning, death. "Don't do it! He didn't do anything! Please!" For once, the law was not on the detective's side, in a pirate's world, law didn't exist.

"Don't worry, Kudo-kun, you're next." He picked up a remote and pushed a button, blue flashes, indicating the volts of electricity shot through the shipwright. Franky was no fully awake, and was currently panicking about his situation. "Ah good, you're awake bloody Strawhat." He took a puff of his cigar. "A dog should always be with his collar." He shocked Franky before he could respond. "Now then…where do you think your captain is hiding?"

"Hell if I know, we were separated by the damned pacifista! Who are you? Let us go!" Franky demanded.

"Oh, I see, that's too bad then. You would've been useful to us, otherwise." He took another puff and got the sponges ready. "As for who I am, I am Shiliew, interrogator and information extraction expert of the Blackbeard Pirates, welcome to our crew." He put the sponges to Franky's chest, and that's when all hell broke loose for the once-blue haired man (he's bald now).

"AAAAUGH!" Franky screamed in pain, as the volts of electricity shot through his body, including the damned shock collar, that was now drawing blood. It lasted for an agonizing two minutes, until the shipwright finally passed out.

"Ah. He didn't last as long as I thought he would, shame." He smirked and turned to the terrified child. "Now then, you're next, Kudo-kun. It wouldn't be fair if you were the only one spared."

The next thing Conan knew, he was dragged out of his cell, and strapped down to a wooden table in the room. Panicking about it being a stretcher, he mildly realized when he realized it was just for restraint. Shiliew looked down at Conan, and waved the small axe in front of the detective casually. "I've got to say, I'm impressed, Kudo-kun. You've managed to escape the Navy, combine the revolutionaries and the Whitebeard pirates, and have even successfully managed to find out all this information about the world government. You're an impressive kid, but your life ends in this world…it ended when you went against justice in your world." He was about to bring the axe down, but he noted Conan's terrified look turned into furry.

"URUSAI!" Conan yelled, catching his tormentor off-guard. "Don't you dare call what the Navy is doing here is justice! Don't you dare call the Black Organization justice! The Navy, Tenryuubito, the Gorosei, the World Government, they can have all the power in the world, and it still wouldn't mean justice! Justice is about doing what's right, making things right for people everywhere; not a pathetic concept for people who have money and power to play with! Did I suffer for going against the Black Organization? Yes, without a doubt! But I didn't suffer for not following justice, I suffered for following justice! For protecting my friends, my loved ones, my life! I'll keep fighting no matter what world they send me to, no matter how they torture me!" Conan breathed harshly, and looked Shiliew straight in the eye. "The Black Organization will take over everything here, just like they're trying to in my world, the day their word, their law becomes justice, I'll turn into a criminal. Because I'd rather be put to death, than live in that kind of world. Don't ever compare the Black Organization to the good people I know, who'd sacrifice themselves for the actual meaning of justice in a heartbeat."

"You say some big words, detective." Shiliew pursed his lips and readied his axe. "Don't think I want kill you just because you said a pretty speech."

At this, Conan actually smirked. "Do your worst, because no matter how bad of a state I'm in at the end of the day, I'm still going to win. I'll win this fight, just like I've won the others. Bring it on, black dog!"

Shiliew snapped and brought the sharp axe down on Conan's shoulder and slid it through, making a huge gash in his arm. The ex-prison guard brought the axe down on Conan's left arm repeatedly, just making shallow indentations, not actually severing it. It'd be less painful, that way. After completely bloodying up Conan's left arm, he turned to his right arm. Dropping the axe, he looked around the room, and found a lead pipe. Smirking, he walked over to it and dipped it into a furnace; after it was red hot, he walked back over to the boy. Conan was barely able to stay conscious, but he knew what was coming when he saw the hot iron. Shiliew slowly, brought the iron down onto Conan's right arm, and then slid it across, making a huge burn scar. He did the same thing to Conan's legs, leaving black streaks across them. Frustrated, that the little detective was just flinching, not crying out, he hastily grabbed the nine-tail cat, and started whipping the boy's stomach. The shirt was torn in seconds, and the detective coughed up blood, wincing when he felt the impact on the coils. But suddenly, he felt something sharp grip part of abdomen. Crap! It was right above his pancreas! Shiliew pulled it back, the same way he did with Sentomaru, splitting the boy's stomach open slightly. Conan sputtered blood and finally lost consciousness.

Still unsatisfied, Shiliew raised the whip again, only to find Augur point his sniper at him. "That's enough for now, we can't have them die yet." After taking a few harsh breaths, Shiliew threw the whip on the ground and stormed past the marksman. Augur didn't say anything, but sighed at the mess of the prisoners in front of him. "Better get Doc. Q down here, before they die."

**Remember to review!**


	21. Decisions of Regret

**Hey guys! I'm updating this story fairly quick despite lack of reviews for several reasons. One: I'm getting buried on homework again, so I won't have time to put energy into this story for some time, two: I got another random burst of inspiration, and I fianlly found a good way to move the story along, and three: I'm starting to write several other fanfics, in Vocaloid, Gintama, and a serious variant of my other One Piece story: Hell's Babysitting, and won't have as much time for this one. Don't worry, I'm not stopping it or going on extended hiatus, but I'm indulging you because I know a lot of people read this fic despite the low review count. Rob Lucci is a little OOC in this chapter, but it worked with the story well enough to where it fit in. Also, there are NO OCs in this fic! There are all either from One Piece or Case Closed, so when Lucci talks about his childhood love, it's an actual character from One Piece- Marguerite, is a Kuja pirate, look it up. One last thing, I appolgoze if the last chapter was too gorey; as I said, I'm not used to writing toture scenes, but I am proud of how it turned out. One last thing, Ussop finally appears, and I hope you enjoy! PLEASE REVIEW IF YOU WANT ME TO UPDATE FASTER!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed**

A smooth, gentle rocking roused the young detective awake, and he shot up from his bed from start. Bed? Why was he on a bed? Was that torture he just experienced just a nightmare? He moved an arm and winced; he looked down at his body and noted he was shirtless and practically looked like a mummy. Nope, not a dream. Looking at his surroundings, he was confused. Where was he? He suddenly felt something peck him in the forehead and he flailed his arms around in surprise. A pigeon flew from a top of his head, to the boy's surprise, and landed on someone standing outside the door to the room. Needing to know Sentomaru's and Franky's fate, he called out hesitantly. "H-Hello?" A tall, lean, muscular man with long hair appeared, he was wearing jeans and well as long sleeve white-button up shirt with casual brown work shoes. His hair was very long, and had handsome face with a small mustache on his chin. The pigeon rested comfortably on his master's shoulder, while the man analyzed the boy carefully. Deciding to try again, since he wasn't saying anything, Conan spoke. "Uh…what's your name? Where are we?"

"You'll have to forgive him, Lucci-san's not much of a talker to people he doesn't know." A tall, broad man who resembled a bull came in. "I am Blueno, member of Cipher Pole 9, in exchange for $200,000,000 beri, the Blackbeard pirates gave up custody to you, Sentomaru-san, and the Strawhat crew member. You were passed out for about four days, and we had to properly clean and disinfect your wounds, and your companions weren't in any better of condition, Mr. Franky is still asleep I'm afraid, and Sentomaru-san's in intensive care." The bull-man explained. "As for who this man is, his name is Rob Lucci, the best fighter in all of Cipher Pole, he wanted to talk to you after you had woken up."

"Uh…where are we?" Conan found it hard to keep up with all the man was saying.

"You are on a Cipher Pole vessel and we are currently heading to Sabaody, where you will be taken to Mariejois for judgment." Blueno explained. "We were ordered to keep you in good health instead of just executing you, so please be grateful and don't try to escape. We're in the middle of the ocean, and all of our lifeboats are securely fastened."

"The Blackbeard pirates just let us go?" Conan found that very hard to believe, all things considering.

"When faced with Lucci-san, you'd be surprised by how flexible things are detective." Blueno replied.

"May I see them? Franky-san and Sentomaru-san?" The detective asked.

"No. We know the tactics of detectives Kudo-kun, so even if that isn't your intention, we can't afford to risk it." He answered.

"Then blindfold me and lead me there!" Conan demanded, clutching his sheets.

"You're in no position to make demands, Kudo-kun. You still need rest, your wounds are still raw and you've lost a lot of blood; those Blackbeard idiots didn't disinfect your wounds properly. Have a good rest. We'll be arriving in Mariejois in two days." Blueno turned to leave, leaving Lucci, Hattori, and Conan alone.

Lucci observed the boy; he was clutching his sheets, his eyes were white and panicky, and tears were prickling his eyes. The detective was angry and most likely furious with himself for getting himself into such a position. Lucci couldn't blame him, it was pretty embarrassing; walking over to the boy, Lucci took out a black cloth and suddenly tied it around Conan's shoulder, and covered his mouth. "Don't speak, I'll lead you to your friends, but you must stay quiet." He whispered. The detective nodded against the hand, and Lucci tied the band fully around his eyes. Lucci then lead the boy off the bed, out of the room, and down the hall.

Just two minutes later, the blindfold was taken off, and Conan collapsed to his knees. There were Franky and Sentomaru in the same recovery room, with IVs attached to their arms, and covered in bandages to the point where it's almost recognizable. "Will they be okay?" Conan's voice was slightly cracked.

"Yes, their injuries were severe, but they'll be fine." Lucci reassured the boy. "There's no reason for you to crack now; you gotten this far, don't let this stop you."

The detective's head shot up. "Why are you telling me not to give up? If it wasn't for me, neither of these men would've been-"

"Whether or not that's true, it isn't something you can help. Even time travel doesn't exist in your world, now stop griping about the past and figure out your next move." Lucci said firmly.

Conan rubbed his eyes. "W-Why are you telling me this?"

"…I heard you were good at figuring out mysteries, I heard that you were also good at finding people." Lucci looked to the side awkwardly.

The detective blinked, what was he implying? "What exactly do you want from me, Lucci-san?"

Lucci walked forward and picked Conan up from the front end of his shirt, and glared into the scared detective's eyes. "You are to tell no one of this! Whether or not you choose to accept my deal, you are to tell no one! Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-Yeah." Conan nodded and was dropped.

The fighter ran his fingers through his hair in agitation. "I've contacted some revolutionary ships that are near this area, they have the equipment so both men will survive, as well as what they need to be properly recovered. I will help you and your companions escape under the obvious condition that my assistance was anonymous…along with a certain condition."

"Which would be…?" Conan was suddenly afraid to ask.

"…About fifteen years ago, there was an incident on an island called Water 7; it's an island dedicated to the art of craft and ship building. The finest shipwrights in the world are produced there, and the finest was born there- Big Tom. He made ship building an art, able to give the tiniest piece of scrap metal the love and attention it needed to become a piece of gold. He could build anything, and it would last forever; he was the most beloved shipwright in Water 7. However…he committed a terrible crime." Lucci started.

"What?" The detective asked.

"He was the very shipwright who built Gol. D. Roger's ship." Lucci answered.

"The pirate king's ship? He built it?" Conan was surprised, but he didn't see how that was illegal. "Lucci-san, what was the crime exactly?"

"He coerced with a pirate; that is considered second-degree terrorism, and he was originally tied and found innocent." Lucci explained.

"I don't understand." Was the detective's response.

"One of Big Tom's apprentices was obsessed with ships, and particularly favored war ships, and made many of them. The World Government ordered CP9 to take over the wat ships and attack the Navy vessels in Water 7." The assassin confessed. "After Big Tom's trial, he was obviously sentenced to death, but they tried to stop it- his apprentice actually allowed himself to be run over the sea train of Water 7."

"Sea train?" The detective repeated.

"Upon his condition of aquital, Big Tom agreed to build the Sea Train that made trips between Water 7 and Enies Lobbey, the Cipher Pole headquarters. He did so successfully, and his aquital was set." Lucci gave a regretful sigh.

"But then you guys took the war vessels and framed him and his apprentices." The detective clenched his fists. "There's no end to this corruption, is there?"

"I heard that you found out our whole system from Blackbeard." Lucci responded neutrally. "The way of Absolute Justice is-"

"I said it that t=damned pirate, and I'll say it to you- don't you dare call what the World Government is doing justice. It's just oppression and fear-driven tyranny that's hurting everyone involved, including the innocent civilians that you're supposed to protect. How can you call yourself a soldier when all you do is hurt people weaker than you?"

"I don't call myself a soldier, I call myself an assassin. I'm fully aware of my crimes, and I don't hesitate to eliminate the targets as they're assigned to me. I didn't go into the Cipher Pole organization with the intent of protection; it was purely for my own desire and ambition." The assassin explained.

"So you don't even give a damn about your comrades, do you?" Conan sighed.

"Not particularly, but that doesn't mean I don't care about anything." He admitted, causing Conan to look up. "Would you believe me if I said I was actually in love with someone at one point, and still am?"

"No." Conan replied bluntly.

"Well, I am." Lucci ran a hand through his hair awkwardly. "This must remain secret; I won't tolerate blackmail like you did Aokiji, is that clear?"

Making a mental note about how he knew that, the detective nodded. "Fine. "

"The reason why I told you the story of Big Tom is because he helped raise me when I was a child." The detective's eyes widened at that statement. "I was an orphan and only child of Water 7; my parents had been slaughtered by raider pirates before I could walk, I was found by one of Big Tom's workers and was taken in. I had no interest in shipwrighting initially, but I learned basic and advanced carpentry to make myself useful to them. One day, I found a baby bird in his nest on a piece of drift wood out in the ocean. I took in the baby bird and kept it secret in my room; I wasn't allowed pets you see."

"He took good care of me." Hattori spoke, surprising the detective.

"Yes, Hattori has been with me since childhood, and will forever remain with me, so long as I live. One day, I was found out, and they were about to throw Hattori out the window before he could fly; he would've drowned in the ocean. That was when I finally met her, she stopped the worker and told him to leave. She was a strange girl, and would look at me straight in the eye, an action I was used to only seeing with Big Tom. I had seen her around the workplace, but honestly hadn't taken much notice of her. After she saved Hattori, we became friends, and eventually became closer." The assassin turned away, allowing a hidden smile come on from the memories.

"What happened to her?" He asked.

"She was Big Tom's daughter, the mother apparently lived on another island, but didn't wish to take her with her. But one day, I went to see her, and she was gone; a Kuja pirate ship had left the dock earlier that day, and I was told her mother demanded custody of her, and she was taken. She and I were only ten years old, and I felt like I had lost half of myself when she left. Big Tom was distraught over the loss, and explained to me there wasn't anything I could do. That the Kuja pirates had no mercy on men or boys." Lucci continued.

"Who are these Kuja pirates?" Conan asked.

"They are the strongest female pirates in the wordl, and come from an exclusive women-only island called Amazon Lilly. The must leave the island in order to conceive children, but must stay off until the child is born, in the case that their child is born a boy." Lucci explained.

"So they don't risk tainting the island after the child is born." Conan finished.

"Anyways, when I learned that, I promised Big Tom I'd join the Navy in order to retrieve her from the Kuja Piratres, but he told me that I'd have to be at least a Shichibukai level, for theyh were actually allowed to attack men that just came near the island." The assassin sighed.

"So…what do you want me to do exactly?" Conan asked.

Lucci then turned around, and handed Conan a picture of a little girl. She had fairly pale skin, short blonde hair, reddish-brown eyes, wore a white undershirt, and brown cargo shorts. She had a dirty and ruffled appearance, but grinned at the camera, making the victory hand sign. "This is the only picture of her I have, so I will kill you if it isn't properly returned to me. I want you to find her, and make her remember me; make her remember beyond that accursed island. It is her choice of whether or not she stays or leaves Amazon Lilly, but I want her to remember me at the very least."

"So you want me to give you her answer." Conan concluded. "As well as bring her to you, if she agrees to come."

"Exactly. In exchange for finding her, I will allow you, the Strawhat member, and Sentomaru a safe chance to escape. However, I expect a response by the time you reach Mariejois, regardless of how short the timespan is." He glared at the child. "I will also kill you if I even find a dent on that picture, is that understood?"

"Perfectly." Conan nodded.

"Good. Do you accept?" Lucci asked.

"I've made too many deal with the devil to pass one up now." Conan answered. "By the way, what' her name?"

"Marguerite. Her name is Marguerite." Lucci couldn't stop himself from smiling; he hadn't said her name in years.

**5hrs Later**

Conan looked around anxiously as he was lowered into the life-boat by Lucci. Franky and Sentormaru had been lowered down before him, so he was getting last minute directions from Lucci. It didn't help the fact that it was dark, but it was also a bit stormy. The young detective was nervous; he had almost no experience at sea like this. "Keep yourselves centered and you'll be more stable; I'm dropping you off at a good point, stay here until the Revolutionaries find you. It shouldn't be more than ten minutes."

"A lot can happen in ten minutes, Lucci-san!" Conan exclaimed, trying to cover his injured companions.

"You'll have to bear with it!" He yelled. "Move out!" He cut the rope that was keeping the life boat to the ship, and in no time, the waves swept Conan and his partners in catastrophe away. The young detective tugged his Navy-slicker tighter, to protect himself in the rain. They had to disguise themselves as corpses they getting rid of to lighten the boat's load. Despite what Lucci said, the detective felt grave anxiety. The waves were getting rougher, and the rain was getting heavier.

"Bear with it! Easy for him to say, his ship's above the waves!" Conan exclaimed to himself, trying desperately to steady the dingy. Suddenly, Conan felt a sudden jerking movement on the boat, he managed to look down in the water, and gasped in horror and confusion. A whirlpool had suddenly appeared, and they had just got sucked into it. "How the hell does that work? Just what is it with this universe?" Having no paddles, or any sort of cover, Conan tied himself and his companions together; if they were going to die, they shouldn't be alone.

**With Lucci**

"Wonderful Lucci! I can't believe that kid bought that! Can you believe it?" Spandam laughed as he saw the boat get sucked into the whirlpool.

"A little too easy, if you ask me." Kalifa spoke up. She gave Lucci a suspicious glance. "You were awfully convincing in your story Lucci, you didn't even need Hattori-san to speak for you."

"I did the job as assigned to me, I can't help it if he only buys into one personality act." The fighter shrugged.

"Hmph." She pushed her glasses forward. "Whatever you say." She turned back to the scene; not one person in CP9 caught Lucci's confident smirk.

**Revolutionary sub-ships**

Inazuna and Izo watched in absolute horror as the small dingy got sucked helplessly into the whirlpool. They had volunteered to go out to pick up the refugees when they noticed from binoculars, they had escaped somehow. But they were obviously too late, as they saw the little detective, the pirate, and the engineer get sucked to their doom.

"This is war Izo-san." Inazuna sipped his wine calmly.

"Indeed, Inazuna-san." The Whitebeard commander's eyes flashed dangerously. "Let' prepare for war, shall we?"

**Near a Carnivorous plant Island**

It was a peaceful storm that was passing through their island, it was nothing new; their plant loved the feeling of the rain, and they welcomed it. But what they weren't expecting was a dingy to suddenly shoot up from the bottom of the ocean, and crash-land in the middle of their square. A small, old, man approached the destroyed ship; seeing a child, a man in a speedo, and an oddly-shaped obese man with puny legs. The old man almost resembled a stag beetle and was caught be surprise when someone suddenly shoved passed him.

"Hercules-san, we need to get these guys help!" A man with a long-nose said.

"Why Ussop-kun? Do you know these people?" The old local asked.

"Yeah! Or at least one of them!" Ussop exclaimed, looking Franky over, horrified by his nakama's condition.

"What about the other two? We probably could just feed them to-"

"Just save them all, you old bastard!" Ussop yelled indigently.


	22. Plans and Conspiracies Revealed

**Hey guys! Here's another chapter out there for you. This is kind of filler, I admit, but it explains a hell of a lot about what actually is going on the plot, and why everything's so complicated. The World Government and Black Organization's plot will be revealed, as well as explain how Conan ended up in One Piece, as well as being realistic in getting back home. Also, I've decided how I'm going to introduce Nami, expect to she appear in the next chapter, but only at or near the end. But the next chapter, Conan is finally confronted by Nico Robin, and I promise she is pissed. So anyways, read, review, enjoy! Here's the next chapter! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed**

Conan groaned and managed to sit up somehow, he looked down at himself, only to find his clothes had been changed again, and he had been re-bandaged as well. He observed his surroundings, and found that he was in a large, straw hut, with Franky and Sentomaru sleeping beside him, with IVs in their arms. Carefully walking around them, Conan shielded his eyes slightly, when he peered outside. He wondered idly about which island they were on. "Oh you're awake!" Turning to his left, he saw a man with an extremely pointy nose running towards him with medical supplies and food; an old man resembling a beetle trailed behind him. One the long-nosed ran stopped in front of him, he panted and asked, "Is Fanky awake yet?"

"No sorry…are you a friend of Franky-san?" Conan asked.

"Yeah! I'm one of his nakama, Ussop! I'm the Strawhat Marksman!" He stated proudly. Conan had to resist the urge to fall over, yet another Strawhat member; just how long was this going to go on? He blinked, when Ussop shook his shoulder slightly. "Hey, you okay? You spaced out for a bit."

"Ah. I'm fine, so who's the old man behind you?" The detective asked.

"My name is Hercules; I'm a resident on this island, young man. Who might you be?" He asked.

"Edogawa Conan." He bowed politely to both of them. "Nice to meet you both, are you the ones who treated our wounds?"

"Yeah! You're lucky you landed so close to the villa! Hercules-san said that the Semitic Whirlpool hasn't spit anyone out in ages! You're lucky none of you have devil-fruits, or you'd be goners!" Ussop explained.

"Er…good to know." Conan managed to smile. "So, where are we exactly?"

"You're on Greenstone, it's an island in the Boin Archipelago." Ussop answered.

"I see…where are we in the Grand Line exactly?" The detective asked.

"Beats me…I was sent flying for three days by that Kuma-bastard." The marksman explained.

"I see." Conan nodded.

"Oi! You shouldn't be moving around yet, Conan blinked and turned to see Sentomaru trying to sneak off. Without thinking, the large man bounded off, and without thinking either, Conan followed him. "Oi! Your injuries, little boy!" Hercules' pleads went unheard.

"You take care of Franky! I'll go after them!" Ussop declared, and started tailing them.

"Young people." The old man groaned.

**In the Forest**

Being a round, robust, man, Senotmaru wasn't particularly good at running fast like Conan or the other idiot Strawhat behind him, but he was an engineering genius, he was Dr. Vegapunk's assistant after all! But unfortunately, smarts didn't override brawn, for Conan and Ussop successfully tackled the robust man to ground, and managed to tie him in the rope Ussop happened to have on him. Conan sighed, and to Ussop. "So you're one of the Strawhat crewmembers too, huh?"

"Sure am! Speaking of which, who's this guy? How'd you guys end up with Franky?" He asked.

"Long story…" The detective looked to the ground, but then looked at Sentomaru. "I'm sorry…the only reason why you and Franky-san were severely tortured was because Blackbeard-san thought you were with me, so he used that as an excuse to torture you. So, I'm sorry. Ussop-san…"

"Yeah?" The confused marksman replied.

"It's also my fault Franky-san's so badly hurt. I met up with Franky-san on a winter island called Karakuri, and I met him and Sentomaru-san in a lab. After failed negotiations, Franky-san saved us by having the laboratory we were in self-destruct, then we woke up in Blackbeard-san's ship and we were all tortured for the hell of it. I told Blackbeard-san exactly what he wanted, and he still allowed that Shiliew-bastard to torture us!" Conan stomped the ground, his fists were clenched, and tears were streaming. "It's my fault! I'm sorry Sentomaru-san! I'm sorry for what happened to Franky-san, Ussop-san. I'm truly sorry…" The young boy sank to his knees.

"It wasn't your fault kid." Everyone turned to see Franky, who still looked in pretty bad shape, but was able to move around. "The Blackbeard's a bastard, and we're lucky you managed to find a way to escape; if you hadn't we'd be goners. Hey USSOP-BROTHER!" He gave Ussop a bear hug.

"FRANKY! I'm SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU!" Ussop cried tears of happiness.

As the crewmates started chatting, Conan turned to Sentomaru mournfully. "Your master's factory was blown up…"

"Don't apologize, you brat!" The engineer snapped, surprising the detective. "Though it's true you're the reason I'm stuck on a back-land island with two pirates, it's also your doing that we're still alive. I don't like you, and I'll always be suspicious of you, but it takes a lot of guts to do whatever you did to get us out of Blackbeard's clutches. So…I owe yah, kid. But that's only because you're not a pirate!"

"Sentomaru-san…" Conan mumbled.

"Oh yeah…who's this Blackbeard-guy anyways?" Ussop and Franky started in on the conversation again.

"He's the newest of the Shichibukai, as well as one of the most powerful. He's specifically gathered the most heinous criminals from Impel Down in his crew; he chose them based on the level of crimes they committed, as well as their strength. He had the prisoners kill each other in fights in order to insure only strongest and most cold-blooded made it onto his crew." Sentomaru explained.

"Impel Down?" Conan blinked, but then remembered the prison he met Whitebeard at.

"Ah. All the criminals he recruited had committed crimes so heinous, that they were erased from history." The engineer explained.

"Man, talk about job requirements." Ussop responded.

"Wait, if these guys are that bad, how'd we escape from them in one piece, kid?" Franky asked. "By the way, what were you doing at Karakuri with the Heart Pirates anyhow? Were you looking for something?"

"Yeah…and also, what exactly happened to us while we were out? Blackbeard had to make sure you were kept in the best health out of us." Sentomaru narrowed his eyes. "Well, speak up."

"…Sentomaru-san…are you aware of who I am?" He asked.

"A cocky, four-eyed brat that was snooping through my master's research. What of it?" He responded.

"You mean, the World Government didn't tell you about me? What about Blackbeard-san, didn't he say anything?" The detective was now confused.

"The only thing that bastard told me that the World government wanted you brought to Marineford alive, but he didn't tell me why." The engineer answered and narrowed his eyes. "Start talking kid, who are you exactly?"

Thinking over his options, Conan decided it was best that he told the truth; lying had only gotten people hurt, and frankly…he was sick of lying at this point. "My name is Edogawa Conan…and this is my story. My real name is Kudo Jimmy, and I am a detective from another world. My story will sound crazy, and I know that there's a strong possibility that you guys may not believe me, but please hear me out."

**Back at Revolutionary ship s+ Whitebeard's ships**

After hearing the news of the little detective's death, as well as one of her crewmembers, Robin was less than convinced that the boy was actually dead, especially because CP9 had recently been disbanded, and were taking independent jobs. They were on Very Good's ship, which made the whole thing even more suspicious in the beautiful woman's mind. Staring at the prisoners they had captured for interrogation, the Blackbeard pirates, she decided to hear from them just what they had to say. The idea of Lucci as well as the rest of CP9 even remotely working with the revolutionaries, just sounded bizarre to her. So, going up to the chained prison guard, Shiliew, he forced her to look up at her. He and his crew were currently in the Revolutionary ship's brink; considering too many people on Whitebeard's crew wanted to kill them. "Tell me…Shiliew-san…how exactly did the disbanded CP9 group find you?"

"…What makes you think I'll tell you, woman?" He snorted.

"Either tell me, or be tortured by the very people you had imprisoned at Impel Down." She smiled gracefully, and trailed a finger across his chin. "After all, I'm sure they're anxious to get their revenge on the man who burned his cigars on his skin for fun." She took a cigar out of nowhere, and pressed it against his face. He winced, but his face didn't waver. "I see…I suppose the proud warden will live with the shame of pirates taking aware his baton." She started leaving before he finally broke.

"It was that damned Tsuru and Donflamingo! They set us up; they played CP9 and the Blackbeard pirates against each other like dogs in a ring! If you promise me that I can torture them to death upon seeing them again, then I'll tell you whatever you want to know!" The guard exclaimed.

"I see then…very well, you have my word I'll insure your desires to the best of my capabilities." She gave him an enchanting smile. "Please continue."

"We got a call from Tsuru; she said there was big money and status in it for us if we completed it! All we were supposed to do was find this kid, and take him back to Marineford! We didn't think that'd he have the whole Grand Line after him. We didn't know that your crewmate and Sentormaru would be with him!" Suddenly a hand was around his throat.

"Which crewmate of mine was with him?" She demanded.

"Franky, his name was Franky! Anyways, Tsuru told us the situation the World Government had set up, and why we had to get this kid back to Marineford ASAP. Then all of the sudden, a few hours we got the kid and, your crewmate, and the engineer; we were suddenly attacked by the disbanded CP9 group!" Shiliew explained through clenched teeth. "We were caught by surprise, and we lost to Rob Lucci. Even with the captain's devil fruit powers, Lucci's hand to hand skills were too good, and were defeated. Cipher Pole then took our captives and sailed off, but it looked like they were heading in the direction of Mairiejois, not Marineford, so I don't have any information on where they're going."

"Why is the disbanded Cipher Pole group working for Spandam once again?" Robin asked.

"According to Tsuru, the World Government promised complete reinstatement as well as promotions if they were to side-swipe us and take our prey." But then the jail warden put on a dangerous smirk. "But if we were to be successful over the World Government, we'd get it automatic access to the undergrounds of Mariejois, where supposedly the legendary source of wealth is hidden. I don't know what's down there, but apparently it's a big enough secret for the big boys to become shaky."

"So, your captain accepted the gamble, thinking of the fame it would give him. How does this Donflamingo-san come into this? He is one of the Shichibukai, is he not?" The archeologist frowned.

"He was there on Cipher Pole's ship, and he's also the one that held our ship together until you got there. Also…he was talking to Lucci about something, but I couldn't tell what. All I know it, Spandam plans to betray them at the end of this, despite the offer; he's pissed off about something pretty big." Shiliew shrugged.

"So Lucci did plan for Conan and Franky to disappear into that whirlpool." Robin concluded. She then turned to leave. "Thank you for your time, Shiliew-san."

"What? No goodbye kiss?" He smirked. But he suddenly felt a hand squeeze his neck so hard, he almost passed out.

"Don't ever speak to me as if we're on the same level; anyone who hurts my crewmates are as dead as trash to me." She glared and left the man to regain his trachea. Walking on the deck of the revolutionary ship, she frowned; what was the Navy strategist and the Shichibukai planning? With those thoughts in mind, she headed to the ship's library, to look up maps. She was certain that they weren't dead now.

**At Greenstone**

"So that's what happened, and that's why the World Government's after me." Conan finished his story, leaving his three companions utterly speechless. "You guys don't believe me at all, do you?"

"I never thought I'd meet someone who could spin bigger lies than me, well done!" Ussop gave a thumbs up.

"Yeah, you'd make a great story teller one day." Franky gave another thumbs up.

"Is the part about CP9 true? I can't imagine Lucci having feelings for anything unless if it's the pleasure of decapitating a corpse." Sentomaru complained.

Conan twitched in annoyance. 'Well…at least I tried to tell the truth'. "Whether or not you believe me is up to you, but our next course of action is to find this Amazon Lilly island. That's where Lucci-san said his friend was taken to."

"I'm mean seriously, if you don't want to tell us your situation, then that's fine." Ussop interrupted him, making the detective twitch.

"Yeah, we won't judge. Not sure about him." He pointed to Sentomaru.

"You still don't believe me, do you?" The detective asked annoyed. Honestly, he should've just stuck to lying, he was getting so good at it, it was scary.

"It's not just that kid…you do know that Amazon Lilly is a female only island, right?" Sentomaru asked.

"Yeah, so?" Conan asked.

"That means, no men allowed at all. Boa Hancock used her status as a Shichibukai to put out a restraining order against all men from entering the island's territory." Sentomaru explained. "Due to some traumatic experiences of her past, she despises men. She's also the only member of the Shichibukai that's female; supposedly she's the most beautiful woman in the world."

"Seriously?" Conan felt like the description of this woman was just ridiculous now. "So basically, this woman's a pirate empress with her own legitimate society?"

"Basically." The engineer shrugged. "Most of the younger women on the island haven't even seen a man before."

"Ah. So even if I were telling the truth, going there would be out of the question." Conan replied.

"Exactly. So, what are you going to do from here kid? You've got a Navy engineer, and two infamous pirates to your disposal." Sentomaru pointed out.

"Actually…" Conan then remembered that he actually found notes in Vegapunk's lab. "I've got proof I'm telling the truth about my situation, and it comes directly from your master Sentomaru-san!"

"What are you getting at, kid?" The robust man growled.

"Here!" Conan took out the plans he found of the vortex machine and showed it the three surprised men. "This is Dr. VegaPunk's work right? Tell me you don't believe now!"

While the three men in front of him were no doubt inventors, Ussop still wasn't quite as stunned as Franky and Sentomaru. Both men knew exactly what they were looking at when they saw the plans; they just couldn't believe it. "This is…"

"So the kid was telling the truth." Franky looked at Conan with shock. "You really are from another world!"

"Wait, I'm confused! What is this, exactly?" Ussop demanded.

"These are plans to master Vegapunk's vortex converter. It was designed to explore different dimensions and parallel universes, to further access more resources for the World Government to exploit. Vegapunk disappeared before the project was complete, or so I thought. He actually he did it…he made contact with a different universe." The engineer now seriously regarded Conan. "So what you say, really is true, you are of a different world."

The detective stood his ground and firmly looked at the three of them. "Ah. Now I need to know the truth Sentomaru-san, how exactly does that machine work, and how can I use it to get home?"

"…It's pretty straight-forward, the converter latches on to different particles in the sub-space, further accessing-"

"Please stop, you're speaking a foreign language." Franky and Ussop were already lost.

"It's not my fault you two are too stupid to understand this!" The engineer yelled at them. He then turned back to Conan. "So anyways, basically the converter works by attaching itself to the different waves at which light presented in each universe, and creates a natural pathway from it. At first, master Vegapunk only used inanimate object between the parallel dimensions, but as you know…everything went downhill when we contacted the Black Organization."

"Didn't you just say you left before the project was complete?" Ussop pointed out.

"Shut up! I was practicing being tight lipped!" Sentomaru griped. "We initially made contact on some strange device, that your world calls a cell phone. We made a 'phone call' I believe, and we established contact. The particles of light happened to match up with the communication waves of the technology of your world, and we eventually made it on what you people called, 'video chat'. After some persuasion from those Black Organization bastards, we actually managed to teleport small objects from our machine, into what you people called a 'microwave'. When we told the World Government about it, they were ecstatic and demanded more. Eventually, all this happened; you being traded for One Piece, your world being invaded, and the Black Organization coming here to invade our world. Essentially the Black Organization and the World Government plan to rule both worlds interchangeably, and once Mater Vegapunk realized this, it was too late. I was actually on the run and hiding in Karakuri when you found me. I'm sorry, at this point, it might already be too late."

"Y-You're kidding right?" Franky gasped.

"T-This is insane! It's got to be a tall tale! Something I'd make up!" Ussop cried.

"It's true, once you're out of the way, and One Piece is in the World Government's grasp, it'll all be over. Sorry it had to end like this kid." Sentomaru sighed.

"Where's Vegapunk-san now?" Conan asked.

"No one knows, I wasn't lying when I said he disappeared some time ago." Sentomaru pointed out.

"Through communication, the Black Organization was able to set up a converter of their own, and that's how I was sent here." Conan concluded.

"Ah. You were the first live human they tested that on, no one was even sure you'd live. I opted out of this when I heard what Akainu did to your neck, sorry twerp. That guy's a real bastard." Sentomaru finished. Ussop and Franky gave the little boy confused glances, when they saw the bandages around his neck were covering a huge burn mark.

"It's fine, I've dealt with others like him. How do I dismantle it?" Conan asked.

"…You can't be serious." Sentomaru stared.

"I don't know what my chances are at getting home at this point, but I know I'm not out of options; especially by now. I'm not letting these bastards touch my family, I won't let them touch my friends, and I sure as hell am getting those bastards back from doing this to me." Conan's fists clenched as he spoke. "Should I get home, I need to know how to destroy the machine from my side, you guys worry about it here."

"…That won't be necessary." Franky spoke up.

"What?" Conan turned to him. "According to these plans, the source is through the information network and light particle physics, whatever those are. But basically, it means if you destroy one machine, you destroy the other; the bad part is, if the machine malfunctions while you're traveling through the portal, there's a good chance you won't make it home, but be trapped in the portal itself."

"In other news, the dimensions will lock down, and I'll be permanently sealed in there." Conan glared at the ground.

"This is all so confusing…" Ussop groaned. "But it sounds bad…what'll you do Conan-kun, or Jimmy-kun?"

"Call me Conan, Ussop-san." The speckled boy smiled. "It's the identity I've learned to adopt, and it'd be weird if people suddenly started calling me Jimmy. And as for what I'm going to do…I'm going to find my way home of course, wherever that may lead me."

"Saa…I guess we head to Amazon Lilly then." Sentomaru sighed. "Whether or not Lucci's telling the truth, it's definitely better than staying in one place."

"Do any of us, know how to navigate?" Ussop asked.

"Er…" All four sweat-dropped, Conan could do it, but he simply didn't have enough experience at sea.

"Let's go back to the villa and get something to eat then. Hercules-san is probably worried." Ussop recommended. Untying Senotmaru, the four of them headed back to the village, only to discover something shocking. There, in the middle of the village was a giant, broad man, who was dressed like a jungle warrior almost, and had angel wings on his back. He was about as tall as Jozu, from what Conan could remember. Luckily, his three companions seemed to recognize him.

"OI! You're-"

The winged-man turned to them, and put on a huge grin. "Ah, two members of the Strawhat crew, and the bastard, Sentomaru. Haven't seen you since that sticky encounter in Sabaody. How's it going?"

"Y-YOU'RE-!" Franky and Ussop pointed stupidly.

"Yep! Urouge, of the Eleven Supernovas, and Captain of the Fallen Monk Pirates is here! Nice to see you again!" He grinned. Conan looked at him, and then back towards the ocean; he recognized Whitebeard's ships, and from what it looked to be an ally of his immediately. The detective gave a relieved smile, there was hope after all. He just needed to utilize it into a victory.

**Reminder: Obviously review, but I also want to remind my readers that there are NO OCs in this fic, they are all characters from One Piece or Case Closed! Marguerite is the girl that helps Luffy out on Amazon Lilly, look her up on wikipedia if you don't believe me!**


	23. Angel of Mercy

**Hey people! I have finals coming up, so don't expect an update for at least another two weeks! This is the long anticipated Nico Robin confrontation everyone's been looking for. Now, I observed Dragon as much as I could, and I apologize if any of you think I'm off base with how he's acting. Dragon is a radical revolutionary, and I concluded that he would most likely try to take the oppurtunity that you'll read. Lastly, I went back and forth in my head about Nico Robin going with Conan, but in the end I decided not to, for plot development purposes and I just like the dynamics in my head better. Don't forget to review, and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed**

After getting a five-hour long lecture from Ace, Whitebeard, Vista, as well as all of the Whitebeard commanders, he was sitting comfortably in a spare room, most likely used for guests on the massive ship. He laid down on the bed with his head over his arms, he had been given fresh clothes, and finally allowed a shower (he forgot how long it had been since he had one), and was told to wait in his room, and that dinner would be brought to him. When he asked about Franky, Ussop, and Sentomaru, he was told that the two pirates were currently enjoying their reunion with their fellow crewmates that had also been picked up, and that Sentomaru was currently in a holding cell undergoing interrogation. But when the detective fiercely defended the engineer, they recanted and said that he'd be given better living conditions. Sentomaru had already agreed to cooperate anyways, so it wasn't like it was too big of a stretch.

Thinking about it, this was the first night he had of peaceful sleep in a while, he had lost track of how long he had been here in this world, but it felt like forever. But he was among allies and friends; he was safe here. He had been brought up to date about what everyone had learned, while he gave them his own findings; it was a rare occurrence, but for once, everyone was on the same page. Suddenly, the door clicked open and he sat up abruptly. In front of him, he couldn't help but blush; in front of him was the most beautiful black-haired woman he had ever seen. She was tall, slimly built, and was wearing a tight, short, purple dress with black stockings. She had crystal blue eyes, and a serene face that was even more radiated by her calm smile. Conan wondered if she was a model or something in this world.

"Uh…hi." The boy said stupidly.

"Hello. You must be Conan-kun, I requested that we could have dinner together in private." She smiled.

"R-Really?" He asked excited.

"Yes. You must be tiered, and I had just heard everything from Franky and Ussop; you must be quite overwhelmed from all the things you've gone through recently." She smiled.

"I get by." Conan scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. He then noticed the tray in her hands. "So…what's for dinner?"

"Ah…salted ham and green beans." She set the tray on a table in the room, and unveiled the food. She served Conan his plate, and she sat on the bed while they ate. "So then…Conan-kun…mind telling me about what you think of all this? What do you plan to do from here?"

"Well…" The detective frowned, he had been on Cloud 9 since he and his companions were found, that he hadn't been thinking about it. "I need to head back to Mariejois, that's where the blueprints had indicated where the vortex converter was built. The darkness down there allows them to isolate the light particles easier, and they can activate the machine. Before that though, I need to go to Amazon Lilly; I'm not sure what Lucci-san wants me to find there, but I can't simply ignore Lucci-san's request either." The woman observed the boy carefully as he thought. "I guess my next move is to go to Amazon Lilly…by the way, I didn't catch your name. I'm Edogawa Conan, but you obviously already know that."

"Ah. As well as your true identity Kudo-kun." He laughed nervously at the name. "Fore the sake of simplicity, I'll call you Edogawa-kun. Is that all right?"

"Of course! So what's your name?" Conan asked with a smiled.

At this, woman's smiled widened slightly, but it didn't appear from happiness or joy. "Robin…Nico Robin- archeologist of the Strawhat crew." Conan choked on the ham in his throat, had he just heard right?

"N-Nico…Robin…san?" He asked hesitantly, slowly facing the woman.

"Eh. I believe you did some research on my mother and I; Pappug-tan had some interesting information on what happened between you and Donflamingo-san." Her smiled never wavered, but the tone in her voice suddenly became very threatening. "Now then…just what did you think you were doing, looking up information about my mother, and even had the nerve to research me?"

The detective looked down at his sheets; he had been given private investigating assignments before, and they were never pretty. If it was research into someone he either go slapped or shot at; seeing as how this woman didn't have a gun, he assumed the first would happen. He sighed, and spoke. "When I was held up at Marineford…I made a random connection between your mother and Roger-san, through an island called Raftel. It was the last destination your mother had before she was brought in by the World Government, and it is also the island where One Piece is rumored to be hidden. They wanted me to figure out if Roger-san actually hid One Piece on Raftel, but when I saw your mother's name on the records of people who had somehow made it to Raftel, I had to look into it; I thought she got One Piece, essentially. But when I looked into the Ohara incident, I discovered our name, and looked into that. You must be a genius…passing a doctorate extreme at the age of eight. In my universe, you'd not only be prized as a genius, but a philosopher paid over a thousand dollars just to talk." He chuckled trying to make light humor.

"Thank you for the compliment…but that doesn't explain why you were looking up my mother's name in regards to the slave records or the Tenryuubito." Robin now frowned, slowly turning into a glare. "Well?"

Conan inwardly cursed, he thought Pappug-san had been unconscious when he and Donflamingo made the deal! "I'm sorry…but I can't tell you." Conan suddenly felt himself get thrown back onto the bed, with hands holding him down, and two almost crushing his trachea. "S-top it!" He managed to get out.

"You will tell me, what you were looking up regarding my mother. And if I have to get violent with you, I won't hesitate to do so. My mother is none of your business, and certainly none of Donflamingo's business and whoever else you shared the information with. Now…tell me!" She increased the pressure on his throat for a minute, before letting go. Conan gasped for breath, relieved his scared neck now had a more protective pad under the bandages.

"I'm sorry…" He mumbled again, looking away from the woman. "I can't tell you."

"Then suffer until you do." Robin was about to go in for another choking session, but a firm hand was placed on her shoulder. She turned to attack the intruder, but backed down when she saw who it was.

"Enough Nico-kun…I understand how you feel, but killing the boy won't do any good. A war is coming, and he knows everything about our enemies; we need him right now, okay?" The hooded man told her. Robin pursed her lips and shot Conan one final glare before retreating her hands. She walked briskly out the door, slamming it shut behind her. The man sighed and turned to the boy on the bed. "Did she reopen any of your wounds?"

"I'm fine." Conan looked away from the hooded man.

"You don't need to be nervous, your among friends here." The man reassured him. The detective observed the adult in front of him, he was tall, had long, bushy, brown hair and had a red, speckled-shape tattoo on the right side of his face. "I am Monkey D. Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army." If Conan had been sitting on a chair, he would've fallen off of it. That was the last thing he was expecting. "I apologize for Nico-kun's actions, her mother is just a sensitive subject for her, and she doesn't like to talk about the Ohara incident in general. If it's truly that much of a secret, then I won't press it, detective, but she won't cooperate with you until she learns your reason either."

"Understood. Thank you Monkey D.-san." Conan replied awkwardly.

"Please call me Dragon, we are allies against the World Government, such barriers are not needed between us. I wanted to talk to you about several things, one of them being my son's crew." The man explained.

"Your son's…crew?" Conan raised a brow confused.

"Yes. Monkey D. Luffy is my son, and I wanted ask about you keep running into his crewmates, other than Nico-kun, you've met almost all of his crew in an organized sequence. Did you plan this?" He asked.

"Er…your Monkey D. Luffy-san's father?" The detective blinked. "I just thought the last name was a coincidence." The detective had never seen the mysterious captain, but he assumed that if the father looked this scary, the captain had to be as well. "Um…believe it or not, I've been meeting your son's crew by complete coincidence…I don't expect you to believe me, but…it's the truth." Conan said sheepishly.

"I see, then. Explain no further." Dragon nodded.

'That was easy.' Conan thought.

"Now for the other subject of importance, I wanted to talk to you about the war the World Government and the Black Organization attempted to start. What do you plan to do from here?" The man looked the boy in the eye.

"I plan to get home of course." Conan answered automatically.

"Obviously, but how do you plan to retaliate?" Dragon pressed.

"Retaliate?" The detective raised a brow.

"Yes. Surely, you don't expect that by going home, that this ends the situation. Do you plan on abandoning the comrades you've made here just to get back to your old life? Do you really think the Black Organization will stop, if this plot is foiled? Even if you destroy both machines, what makes you think that the Black Organization will stop? They can merely build another machine and latch onto this universe, or a different universe. In other news, even once this is all over, what makes you think anything will be truly resolved?" Dragon interrogated.

"…What are you getting at, Dragon-san?" Conan was starting to get nervous at this point.

"A war was almost instigated, but you managed to pause it temporarily, and this pause will be good enough to change who has the advantage. In other words, we take the initiative in the attack and assault the World Government and the Black Organization with no mercy." The revolutionary explained.

"What? You want to start what they tried to start?" Conan exclaimed. "Are you crazy? That'll put everyone at risk! Yourself, your comrades, this universe, and my universe! If you use this to further the Revolutionary army, then you're just putting yourselves at risk! It's true that the World Government started this, but under no circumstances do you need to finish it!"

"Silence!" Dragon exclaimed. "You have the nerve to say we have to stop, after coming so far? Do you have any idea just what pain and suffering the World Government put us through? Or was all your research into the World Government just for the sake of your flawless reasoning…Kudo-kun?" Dragon took a breath to calm down. "The war that changes the world is inevitable, this event in your universe just added new variables, and has jump-started the process. It's obvious that there's much more behind the scenes then what Sentomaru-san knows of, and what we've been told of. Neither of our worlds are safe, Kudo-kun…we need to do whatever we can to protect them. Do you plan on just abandoning this universe? I thought you had a strong sense of justice; at least that's what my idiot father said."

"Father?" The detective repeated.

"Monkey D. Garp." Conan's eyes widened, the marine who scolded Ace. "Hero of the Navy, the greatest Supernova, and the leader of the Revolutionary army all in one family, quite a conundrum isn't it?"

"I didn't mean-"

"It doesn't matter Kudo-kun; a revolution by this point is inevitable, and I need to know I have your full cooperation against the World Government and Black Organization. You said that you had two friends that are thieves in your world, but if the world turned against them, you'd be at their side in a heartbeat. Why is that, detective?" The revolutionary questioned.

"Because they've already done the same for me. They put themselves and their comrades at risk to save my life numerous times. Though it's true I have to try to catch them every time I see them, it doesn't change the fact that they're good men. I'll stand by them until the end if that's what it takes to prove that." Conan stared hard at Dragon. "I understand your fear, animosity, and uncertainty of the situation, and you don't have to tell me that the Black Organization will merely try to do this again. I'm sure the World Government will try something else, should this crazy collaboration fail, but that doesn't mean I won't stop trying. I have to keep trying for peace, a solution, and I'll stop the Black Organization from ever doing this again, but I won't be able to succeed if a revolution does take place like you want. The technology in our universe is greater, though the raw power here is stronger; it'll be a huge blood bath, with the World Government and the lack Organization pulling the strings behind the scenes, nothing more. Don't you dare play into their hands in front of me, Dragon-san."

"How can you be so confident?" Dragon asked.

"Because I have too much to lose; my friends and loved ones are at risk, and I'm the only one preventing their deaths." The detective sighed. "I'll think of something, I always do. Being tricky on my feet got me this far, there's no reason for it to carry me further."

"You remind me of my son." Dragon sighed. "So there's no way to get your cooperation, despite all that's happened to you?"

"As I said, the only thing that'll occur from a revolution is a blood bath, and I refuse to further that idea. You people have been honest with me the whole time, and this is the first time I've been able to be completely honest in awhile, so I'll keep telling the truth until I'm back in my own world again." Conan clutched his bed sheets, no longer meeting Dragon's eyes. "I'm sorry, but I can't support the revolution."

"…Then we'll have to keep you in protective custody until you either change your mind, or the revolution is over." Dragon looked down guilty.

The detective turned sharply at him. "You're keeping me under house-arrest?" Conan asked angrily but then gave a sarcastic laugh. "Seems as though theoretical justice hypocrisy runs in the family. I thought I was out of the Navy's headquarters." Dragon punched Conan across the face, sending the boy into the pillow. The detective and revolutionary glared at each other, before the hooded man left in a huff, and locked the door behind him.

Outside, Conan could clearly hear them. "Make sure he only leaves to bathe, socialize, eat, and got to the bathroom. Otherwise, he's under protective custody; we can't afford to let the Navy or the World Government catch him." Was what Dragon's voice said.

"Understood Dragon-san." Nico Robin agreed to seal his fate.

**The Next Day**

Conan's head was reeling with a plan of escape, these people were smart enough to keep his belt hidden from him, and they were currently anchored in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by various pirate vessels, Whitebeard's fleet, and the Revolutionary's fleet. Nico Robin had volunteered to be his attendant, but for obvious interrogation reason, which despite the sore neck, still wasn't talking. He had a promise to keep to Admiral Aokiji, and he wasn't breaking it under any circumstances. When he thought about it, Nico Robin may have been an exact replica of her mother, other than her hair color and nose-shape, she also inherited a few traits from her father. She had Aokiji's black hair, slight darker skin, and the awkward nose shape; the detective wondered what went through the admirals head every time he saw his daughter, but he couldn't do anything but let her go. Conan's attention snapped, when he heard the door to his room open; Nico Robin came in with a first aid kit- time to change the bandages again.

"Remove your shirt." She said curtly. The detective did so automatically. "How are you today? You didn't request breakfast."

"I wasn't hungry." Conan replied.

"I see. Everyone would be celebrating if you would only cooperate with us." The woman said nonchalantly.

"If I cooperated, then all of you would die. The Black Organization isn't some random splinter sect of a military, they're a huge, wealthy, and organized crime syndicate, who apparently have access to other-worldly technologies." Conan sighed as his old bandages were removed.

"If you know this, then why do you reject our help?" Robin asked.

"Because…I need to do this without getting anyone else involved, I've decided that. Look at what happened to Franky-san and Sentomaru-san." The detective sighed.

"That was a consequence of this world, not yours, so I recommend you stop making excuses around me." She harshly pressed some disinfection on his chest, causing the detective to hiss.

"They may be excuses, but they're the truth." He hissed. "Do you think your mother would've wanted you to die for an empty war?" The detective froze as he said that, he knew he crossed the line from the look on the dark-haired woman's face.

"My mother is none of yours, Donflamingo's, and especially Admiral Kuzan's business!" She stood up abruptly, desperately trying to control her hands from strangling the boy. "Do you have any idea just what the World Government has done to this world? They actually tried to erase the true history of this world form the records? To deny the existence of the past! MY mother and the great scholars of Ohara were massacred for the research they did! I was marked as a criminal at the age eight for learning the Poneglyphs language, and pursuing the true history! I watched Admiral Kuzan take Jaguar D. Saul's life, a friend to my mother, and I watched him walk away to finish the job on my mother! I don't know what you were looking up, but until you're ready to tell me, don't ever talk about my mother! If you truly cared about what the Black Organization was doing, you'd join the Pirates and the Revolutionaries to stop it."

"It's not that I don't care about this world." The woman turned to the regretful detective. "I have no hard feelings for this place, in fact, I'd be exploring my heart out of this universe. I'm not an archeologist, Nico-san, but as a detective I also pursue the truth, the mysteries behind the truth, and uncover the ultimate truths. I'd love to explore the mysteries of this universe Nico-san, but that's currently impossible. But my prime concern is to get home to my friends and family, who are worried sick about me. I don't wish death or destruction on this world, I just don't wish for my world to be sacrificed to save yours."

"That's not what the Revolutionary army intends." Robin sighed.

"No, but that's what will happen. Without the superior technology the Black Organization gained, my world will be left completely defenseless to a bunch of power they have no experience fighting against. The only reason why I've survived up until now is due to sheer luck." Conan admitted. "The Revolutionaries, pirates, and the marines who aren't informed of what's going on will be forced to attack people in my would indiscriminately, due to the fact that everyone will be fighting back. I don't want to see that happen Nico-san- to my world or yours." He sighed as her hands finished re-bandaging him.

"…I'll tell Dragon-san that you'll be cooperating as an advisor." She replied suddenly heading to the door.

"Oi-"

"Good day." She shut the door behind herself.

"I didn't agree to anything…what's she up to?" Conan asked.

**Tomorrow Night**

Conan sat on his bed, reading a random history book that Nico Robin had graciously given him after a two-hour negotiation session with Dragon. The boy had always been a fast reader, but the book was over a thousand pages, so he'd be entertained for at least a few hours. He glanced at the clock, luckily the hours worked the same here- 22:23, he sighed almost another night would pass while he was safely in his prison. The detective knew that even though the pirates and revolutionaries knew he was alive, he was certain that other than Rob Lucci, that everyone in the Navy and World Government thought he was dead. Thus, the element of surprise was with the company that was holding him, and they didn't want to risk losing their lead. But if they fell into the idea of a revolution, then that would simply play into the Black Organization's hand.

"YEEAH!" Conan's head shot up from his book from the loud sound he had heard outside his room; he frowned, that had been going on since eight- what were they partying about? It didn't matter…the Nico woman probably set something up to where he couldn't refuse, but whatever it was, it would most likely help him in the long run. Suddenly, Conan's door creaked open, but no one appeared to take him anywhere. Blinking curiously, he got off his bed and headed outside, the sight baffled him; it seemed like every pirate and revolutionary was celebrating and had drunk themselves into comas. The detective frowned, with the size and body proportion of these people, as well as rum being a part of their culture, he knew they wouldn't have gotten drunk this easily.

"Edogawa-kun." Conan jumped and turned to see Nico Robin…with his belt Asaga had made for him. She tossed it him nonchalantly, and waited for him to put it back on. The boy did so, but it was little more awkward with sweats. The Revolutionaries had been kind enough to give him their old clothes. Once he adjusted it properly, he smiled; all of his gadgets were working perfectly. "Sentomaru fine-tuned some of your gadgets, to they're little more powerful than they were before- your darts can now put people asleep for over a day, and you've been given a month's supply of them, you soccer ball can do as much destruction as cannon with much less force, your extension cord can do longer reaches, and your taser can now take down a dinosaur, and is nuclear powered. Senomtaru-san didn't touch the other gadgets in your belt because he deemed them 'an unnecessary hassle', he states that he is indebted to you for convincing Rob Lucci to let him go with you alive."

"So…I got a total upgrade." Conan concluded, shocked.

"Yes…you'll also find that you've been given a log-pose in one of the compartments of the belt; they're rare, so use it wisely, and don't…lose it." She replied.

"…You're the one who got these guys drunk, aren't you Nico-san?" The detective asked carefully.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She sighed and walked up to the railing of the revolutionary ship. "I was in the library doing research; I don't know how this came to be."

"…" Conan was silent for a moment, observing the woman in front of him. He already knew what she was doing, the question, was…could he risk it? Making a quick bow to the woman, he muttered, "Thank you"! He ran towards the railing opposite of Nico Robin and looked for a ship that was anchored near them, or at least tied to the revolutionary ship. Then, a large ship with caught his eye. The ship had two giant angel wings on both side of the ship, it was large, and had a grassy lawn with fireflies roaming it strangely. The ship itself was plain brown, but any type of metal on the ship was definitely gold, if not some other precious metal, nodding at the decision, he looked around himself in order to find something to get down there. To the boy's relief, there actually was some type of twine attaching the angel ship to the revolutionary ship. Utilizing his belt as a handle, he positioned himself and shoved off the Revolutionary ship railing, and after some effort, managed to crash land on the angel ship. "That could've been smoother." Conan muttered.

Quickly, he hid behind a barrel on the ship, just in case there was someone on. After five minutes of silence, the detective cautiously went up to the twine he came down on, and cut it with a pocket knife from his belt. Nodding to himself, he head for the control room of the ship, which luckily was just by the captain's quarters on the deck. He ran forward to the control panel, which was surprisingly modern compared to a lot the things he had seen here. Then again…VegaPunk had managed to find a way into subspace and discover how to travel between universes, so who was he to judge? But then something dawned on the detective…he had no idea how this ship even worked.

**With Robin**

"Nico-kun!" The raven beauty hadn't left her spot since she sent Conan off, but she turned her attention to her comrade.

"Yes, Inazuna-san?" She asked.

"It's terrible! While we were all celebrating Edogawa-kun's cooperation, he gave us the slip, and now we can't find him!" The okama (now female) exclaimed.

"Calm down." Robin reasoned. "We're in the middle of the ocean, he can only hide on this ship instead fe escape. He knows that trying to sail out ot see on a dingy life-boat would be fruitless, so it is merely matter of finding him. It's strange, how Edogawa-kun had so readily agreed to help us, but when faced with commitment, he turns and runs. Reminds me of many women who have tried and failed with certain types of men."

"We can complain about men later! If he gets off the ship somehow, we're screwed!" Inazuna exclaimed.

"Let's start looking then." Robin could barely hide the smirk.

**With Conan**

After racking his brain over this for several minutes, he decided to do the typical cartoon-thing you'd see on tv…he pushed the red button; unfortunately, he didn't notice the wings on the red button. Conan suddenly felt a rumbling similar to an earthquake, and was knocked to his butt due to the surprise of it. He hurriedly glanced out a window and gulped, it had to be his imagination right? "I'm in a ship, that's hovering in midair." It only took him a moment later to realize, that the ship was getting higher, so he decided to do something with the navigation. "Okay…how do you fly a ship?" But then Conan smiled, this had to be similar to flying a blimp, which he had done before! So, all he had to do was steer this thing to the nearest island, and he'd successfully escaped! That plan was immediately shot into hell- before he knew it, the boy was speeding off faster than a bullet train into the sky.

**With Robin**

There were very few times Nico Robin was surprised by people; let alone astonished. She and her Revolutionary comrade could only stare stupidly at the flying ship that had just disappeared from sight. "He's escaped! He's escaped!" Inazuna ran to wake up his leader, leaving Nico Robin to her dark thoughts.

"Of all the ships, he hijacked…" Robin knew she was taking a risk like this, but she didn't think the detective would think to hijack the only ship that could fly!

**With Conan**

After gaining his footing, Conan pushed a button that looked like said brake, and the ship did indeed come to an abrupt halt- only to have it fall back towards the ocean. Panicking, the detective pushed the red button again, and once again, ascended rapidly into the sky. Now desperate for any navigation control, he turned to the control panel again, and saw the kanji for home on a yellow button. Thinking that it would have to do, he slammed on the button, which surprisingly seemed to have worked. The ship went to a steady pace, but then gradually speeded up again, and headed a random direction to the sky. Taking the steering wheel, he screamed when he almost crashed into a giant bird, which he managed to get passed somehow. "This is just like driver's end, only there's more than insurance you have to worry about!" He managed to make another sharp turn again, but it all ended when a huge flock of seagulls came toward the ship, blocking his vision. The ship tumbled and swayed until finally, Conan could feel the ship propelling downward.

The ship came to crashing fault, having hit something solid, throwing Conan back into another room of the control panel, and down a different floor of a ship. "Stupid make-shift elevators." He rubbed his head in slight pain and annoyance, but then noticed he landed on some type of metal. Looking down, his eyes widened to find doubloons- golden, genuine doubloons. "Real pirate treasure. So is it what looks like in this universe."

"AAAAAUGGH!" A woman's voice made Conan come back into reality and he rushed to find his way of the ship. After finally finding a latter to the deck, he quickly glanced down to see a beautiful orange-haired woman with red eyes, looking utterly stupid and horrified. 'What's wrong?' Conan was about to ask, but her scream answered for him. "MY HOUSE!"

"Eh?" The detective blinked and looked to see what the ship landed on, below him was a small, blue house that seemed to have met its demise by a pirate ship crashing into it.

**With Dragon**

No one said a word to the winged Supernova, who wore an expression of shock, dismay, and rage. "WHY MY SHIP?" His fellow pirates could offer nothing but condolences for poor Urogue.

**Let me know what you think!**


	24. Castle in the Sky

**Hello people! I've recently got stuck in writer's block, but I'll try to get back into it with the new Sherlock Holmes movie! However, extra motivation would be reviews, and commentary about the long-anticipated confrontation between Nico Robin and Conan Edogawa. No new reviews have lead me to believe people either didn't like it, were indifferent, or didn't find it spectacular. So here's a short chapter, to move the story along! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed**

"Er…I'm truly sorry, I didn't mean to crash into your house, I swear." Conan said feebly. He was tied in a chair, with the orange-haired woman holding a rolled up newspaper, boring down on him with a furious stare.

"Then what did you mean to do? How the hell can one accidentally crash a ship into a house?" She demanded.

"Now Nami…I'm sure this boy didn't mean any harm." An old man replied. He wore typical blue wizards robes, and had a beard that reminded him of Merlin.

"How the hell can you say that you, old coot?" She exclaimed. "You do realize we're standing in the pirate ship that destroyed my house, right?"

"Er, yes…but-"

"Then there's no argument here! How are you going to fix this?" Nami demanded.

"Well…we can always give you another house…" The old man replied feebly.

"No! That won't do! I demand compensation for this!" She demanded.

"I don't have any money…" Conan sweat-dropped when he realized that he was broke.

"I wouldn't expect a little hijacker to have money anyways!" She screeched, and then turned to the old man. "Oi, ossan…until a new house prepared, I'll stay in this ship, with him as my assistant. Until I feel he's paid me back in service for what it would cost to fix my house, is that understood?"

"Er…yes, Nami-chan, but…we still don't know who he is." He looked to the boy. "Who are you my boy?"

"…Conan Edogawa…how about you?" He asked nervously.

"I am the weather wizard, Haredes, and this girl is Nami-chan, she crashed onto our island, similarly to you." The old man replied.

"Really?" Conan's attention quirked.

"That's none of his business, old man! Besides, when I crashed here, I didn't destroy anyone's house with a ship!" She replied indignantly. "Boy…what can you do?"

"Do?" Conan repeated stupidly.

"Yeah. Skills or talents, what can you do?" She repeated.

"Er…I solve mysteries for a hobby…I'm good at math and history…" He said nervously.

"You know anything about navigating?" She asked in an annoyed tone.

"Depends…do you mean by ship?" The boy asked.

"What else would I mean?" She snorted.

"…Nothing, nothing at all." He replied nervously; they probably didn't have cars in this universe.

"Tch. A stupid boy crashes into my house, doesn't have the money to pay me back, and has to pay me back in service that's completely useless!" She punched the wall. "Get me some orange juice, I'm putting you to work!"

"Er…" Herades untied him, and scurried off the ship. The old man moved quickly for being so short; the detective had the feeling of impending doom at the moment, and he could tell so did the weather wizard.

"Good luck Edogawa-kun…" He gave a good-luck hand gesture and disappeared from sight.

"Why are you still standing around? Go get my juice!" Nami demanded.

"HAI!" The detective scurried off.

**Nightfall**

"You sleep out in the hall outside my room! I want you ready at my beck and call tomorrow!" She slammed the door in his face, and proceeded to get ready for bed.

"Geez…I thought Serena was bad." The speckled boy grumbled, relaying the past day in his head. For the past eight hours, he had done this woman's cleaning, cooking, and selective laundry; as in he didn't even get to see anything worth a reward! The only thing worth being around this woman was to see her studying maps and weather, Conan had never met a meteorologist with skills as good as hers. He briefly wondered if she was meteorologist for this island, but she said she was a navigator. But if that was the case, why wasn't she on a ship?

"Oi! Boy!" The door came open, and it revealed Nami dressed in short pajama shorts, and a white tank-top, it was most likely her sleepwear.

Conan snapped out of his gaze and responded. "Y-Yeah."

"Come in here, I want to ask you something." She said and went back in. Blinking, Conan followed the woman inside, and realized that she took refuge in the captain's room.

"Yes, Nami-san?" Conan asked nervously.

"Now that we're alone without prying eyes, I want answers. Who are you really? How'd you get here?" She asked suspiciously.

"I already told you my name, and you saw how I got here." The detective answered evenly.

"That's not what I mean, and you know it!" She screeched. "Where the hell you'd get a pirate ship that could navigate itself to a sky island?"

"Sky island…?" Conan repeated it, and after a moment, it finally sank in- sky island. "You mean this island's in the sky?"

"Yes! We're on the sky island, Weatheria, you nimrod!" She bashed him on the head. "How the hell could you not have known that? Didn't you tell this ship to come up here?"

"I didn't mean to do that, I hijacked the ship out of desperation, and I didn't know how to navigate it so, somehow I ended up here! And how the hell are island's in the sky? How the hell's that possible? Is it even possible for people to live up here?" Conan tore hair out of his head in frustration, yet another weird quirk of this universe. 'I wonder what the Christian idea of Heaven is here.' Conan idly wondered.

"…What?" Nami asked shocked.

Conan sighed. "I was captured by a group of vigilantes, and I had no choice but to hijack one of their ships, I was in the middle of the ocean, so I was desperate and just pushed random buttons, and before I knew it, the ship was flying. Then, the ship started going warp speed, and to avoid killing a flock of birds in the path of destruction, I pushed another button, and the ship went a steady, bumpy rhythm, until stopping abruptly. Apparently…your house stopped it." He managed to smile, but inside, he was torn up; he had just started telling the truth, and here he was, lying again. He had to resist the urge to blame Dragon for this, after all, he had just found stability, and it was viciously snatched away from him.

"I see." Nami sighed, and went to sit down on her bed. "So you were in the same boat I'm in."

"What?" Conan blinked.

"I was separated from my crew about a two weeks ago, by a guy named Kuma. I was sent flying for three days and ended up here, Weatheria. The people here are nice, but they won't let me leave." She sighed.

"Why won't they let you leave?" Conan asked confused. "Herades-san looked really nice."

"No, the people here are nice, but…they won't help me get off the island, because I'm the first young girl they've seen here, in years." She grumbled.

"Er…really?" The detective sweat-dropped.

"The old geezers aren't used to seeing a young, beautiful maiden such as myself, so they get excited and greedy, and can't help themselves." She gave a dramatic sigh. "But it in consequence, I'm trapped on this island, and I can't get off of it!"

"Did you try buying a ship from these people?" Conan asked.

"People from sky islands, especially one as small as Weatheria very rarely leave the island. It's kind of a cultural thing, you could say. They pride themselves of being self-sustainable, so they don't rely on the normal islands below the clouds." Nami explained. "Besides…these people wouldn't sell a ship from me, even if I tried."

"I see…" Gears started reeling in Conan's head. "So, you're a pirate, then?" She was a lot prettier than most pirate women; then again…Nico Robin of the Strawhat crew could challenge that stereotype.

"Eh…you mean…you don't recognize me?" She asked confused.

"No…should I?" Conan asked.

Blinking, she took a piece of paper out of her pocket and showed it to him. "Now you recognize me, I'm the infamous 'Cat Burglar Nami', of the Strawhat crew!" Conan fell over from that statement. "Eh? What's wrong?"

"Er…Nothing." Conan got off the ground, his eye twitching. 'I'm gonna meet all of them, aren't I'? "Out of curiosity, Nami-san…just how many people are in your crew?"

"Nine, why do you ask?" She quirked a brow.

'Three more to go then, huh'? He thought, but then smiled. "Nothing, it's just…I've heard of a lot of great things about your crew, so it's really cool I get to meet one of you guys!"

"Kid…I'm a professional thief and con artist, don't pull shit like that on me." She glared. "Now it's your turn, tell me who you were running from."

"…I'm on the run from the Navy, and one of the eleven Supernovas picked me up, and was hoping to exchange me for the bounty the World Government placed on me." Hopefully a half-lie would pull it off.

"I don't buy all of it…but it's enough of the truth where I'm comfortable, but if you double-cross me in any way, I really will throw you off this island." She warned.

"Ah." Conan nodded.

"Good. Now, how do you really know about my crew? I'm not letting you slide on that one." Nami explained.

"…It's true that I started off when running from the Navy, but through a series of misunderstandings, I ended up running into some of your crewmembers, and they helped me escape." Conan explained cautiously.

Raising a brow, Nami continued her interrogation. "Really? Who'd you meet?"

"Brook-san, Chopper-kun, Franky-san, Ussop-san, and Robin-san so far." He listed in order. "It was a very odd array of events that couldn't have been avoided Nami-san."

"Are you even going to be remotely honest about how you met my crewmates?" She glared.

"Honestly, no." The boy chuckled.

"Fine, I'll ask about you when I see them." She retorted. "You must be pretty famous if the World Government's after you. I know you weren't lying about that part. What'd you do?"

"I…" He hated lying about this, especially since Robin helped him so tremendously, but he had no choice. "I researched the Void Century." That lie earned him a huge bash on the head.

"At least make up your own lie than copying off the my crewmate!" Nami screeched, but then sighed. "Fine, don't tell me…you look harmless anyways. So, you obviously don't plan on staying around this island, what do you plan on doing?"

"Er…" He decided to at least tell her what his destination was, maybe she could help him. "I need to get to Amazon Lilly!"

"What?" She asked surprised.

"You heard me…I have to get there…there's someone I need to find." Conan explained.

"…I won't ask who you're looking for considering that you'll never make it." The beauty replied simply. "Amazon Lilly is a women-only island, protected by the ultimate Boa Hancock, who has a restraining order against all me who come near the island. If you go there, the World Government will know where you are in a second."

"You don't have to tell me it's a huge risk, Nami-san but…it's a risk I have to take." He said.

"Why?" She quirked her brow.

"I made a deal with the devil, and the devil will collect his due one way or another." He replied.

"How do you plan to get there?" Nami asked.

"That's what I wanted to ask you about Nami-san…you're the navigator of the Strawhat crew, right?" He asked.

"What of it?" She gave a knowing smirk.

"I'm not your crewmate, and I don't have any intention of this being a permanent arrangement, but…could I hire you to be my navigator?" He stood tall.

"Hmph." She gave a sly smirk. "What makes you think you meet my price range? As you said, you're broke. Besides…I'm a thief as well as a pirate, I could easily steal this ship form you and maroon you here or anywhere if I wanted to."

"Then why don't you?" The detective challenged.

"Isn't it obvious? The ship won't budge." Nami shrugged, taking a brush for her hair. "When you crashed it into my house, you dislodged one of its wings that maintains its flight ability. I already tried to steal it from you, while you were out buying groceries for me. You screwed us over, kid."

"Was the wing actually damaged?" He asked.

"No…but we would definitely need a master shipwright to fiz it." She gave an exasperated sigh. "You couldn't have brought Franky with you?"

"I was trying to desperately escape people who want to kill me, I wasn't exactly thinking about that." Conan grumbled. But then he remembered the room he fell into with all the gold, with the gears turning in his head again, he smirked. "Nami-san…I'll make you a deal."

She turned to him. "What?"

"If I find a way to fix this ship, as well as find a way to pay you, will you agree to navigate me to Amazon Lilly?" He asked with his trademark smirk.

Nami noted this, and showed her own amused smirk. "Deal. You find a way to pay me, and fix the ship, then I'll be your temporary navigator."

"Good. However…let's make this interesting." His smirk widened, and reached into his pocket, and to his luck…a piece of the pirate's boon fell into his pocket. He held up the coin to Nami, and she fell off her chair in shock. "Since you flat out admitted to attempted abandonment, I need a little insurance that you'll keep your word once I get the ship working. You see…when I crashed here, I fell into a room filled with gold and jewels, and I can tell by your expression, that you haven't been able to find it. I can also tell you searched top to bottom of this ship, and found nothing. So…if you abandon me, you lose your treasure. What's it going to be, Navigator-san..?" He flipped the coin up with his thumb. As it flipped down, he caught it in mid-air and threw it at her.

Looking at the coin, and then at the boy, she couldn't help but see Robin in that question; her mature older sister-figure had always called her that, and she felt her heart strings tug at the idea of seeing Robin and all of her crew again. After a few tears, she wiped her eyes and gave Conan a confident smirk. "Deal…you're on, Edogawa!"

**Review Please!**


	25. Somebody is always Watching

**Hey guys! As promised, here's my update as part of my updating spree! I have to warn you guys several things about this chapter, one: the characters might seem slightly OOC, and two: the reason for going to Sanji's island is fairly lame. I have several reasons for this: one, I wrote this at 4am on an insomnia high, so the quality wasn't that good in my opinion, two: I want the story to move along, so I didn't want to spend a lot of time on Nami's island- not much to do on Weatheria. Last thing: I honestly couldn't think of a better reason to go to Sanji's island, because, let's face it: the author did Sanji's island for 90% fun, 10% training. It was also the most logical thing I could make Conan and Nami do as well. So, I apologize if any of you are unsatisfied with the chapter. Also, I'm batting this around in my head right now, but...should Conan meet Luffy alone, or should the crew go with him? Again, Luffy's the last member of the Strawhats he'll meet, but I'm currently debating that issue in my head, let me know. Thanks and enjoy! Happy Holidays!**

Conan groaned, this was a hell of a lot harder then he thought. When he made the deal with Nami initially he, thought it'd be as simple as screwing in a light bulb, but seeing as how he knew nothing about ships, he had tried to fix the broken part of the flying ship, and found out the hard way. Luckily, Nami hadn't given him too hard of a time about it, and had been working on scouting the best route to Amazon Lilly, while Conan worked on his end of the deal. The detective wasn't sure how long he had; he knew the navigator was searching this ship top to bottom for that treasure, and he knew it was only a matter of time before she found it. Once she did that, he was certain she'd find a way to leave without him. Uroge, had the weirdest ship ever, Conan concluded. After doing some research, he had discovered that his ship was a mixture of a standard pirate ship, and an old Viking long ship called the Karvi, the shortest, yet widest of the Viking long ships. The part of the ship that needs fixing is the gearshift that replicates a bird's ball-socket-joint connecting the humerus and shoulder (basically, the bones that connect and function the wings of the bird's body). The closest thing he found on Weatheria was an invention called the Wind Knot, and he wasn't sure just how the hell that would work.

"How you doing?" Nami walked in with some hot tea.

"Not good, I proclaimed I'd get us out of here two days ago, and still squat. Not to mention, those old guys at the hardware store were looking suspiciously at me when I bought this thing." He held up the weather knot, and accepted the tea from Nami. "Thank you for the tea, it's cold up here, tonight."

"It's normally a lot nicer weather, but the weather cycle's come around to storm now." Nami sighed. "So me that thing you bought." Handing her the item, he went back to staring outside, then suddenly, a giant gust of wind squished him into the window.

He fell to his butt after the wind dissipated and he glared at Nami. "What the hell was that for?"

"Sorry! I didn't mean to, I just tied a knot into the rope, but when I undid it, that happened. Herades mentioned this thing before, but he didn't actually show me it." Nami explained.

"You don't say." Conan grumbled, rubbing his face that got planted onto a sheet of glass.

"Eh…he actually showed it to me, and even did a demonstration of it…then I kind of tried to steal the knot and some of their other inventions." She explained casually.

"What?" Conan deadpanned.

"Yeah. I'm an expert thief, stealing is one of my professions after all. I only stole the inventions that I thought would get me back to my crew, but…they didn't see it that way." Nami explained.

"So…how'd you get a house out of these people, instead of jail?" The detective asked with a massive sweat-dropped.

"Oh, I just cried a bunch, and they gave me a house and everything I needed to live." Nami shrugged. "There's no law enforcement here, when they put me in jail for a short time, they didn't even know how long to hold me, or the process to convict me."

"So basically…the only reason why you've been able to get everything on this island is because pf your looks and con artist experience." The detective deduced.

"Can't say you've ever accomplished something like that with your looks and brains, can you?" The navigator smirked. A silent and annoyed pout, confirmed her suspicions. "Ha! I knew it!"

"Well excuse me for not having the right assets to flaunt around!" Conan yelled indignantly.

POW! "Who's assets are you looking at, you little perv!" Nami screeched.

"You're the one who brought it up!" Conan yelled, holding his head.

"Well now I'm ending the conversation, so there!" Nami rebuttled.

"Fine." Conan grumbled, nursing his head.

"Good, you've learned to be obedient, chore boy." Nami smirked.

"Since when am I a chore boy? I thought I was supposed to be your assistant." The detective's brow twitched.

"You were my assistant, until you noticed something you shouldn't have." She smirked.

"You take things you shouldn't, and no one's penalizing you!" The boy exclaimed.

"That's because no one has the heart to penalize me!" The woman smirked.

By now, Conan was getting extremely pissed off, for this woman was eerily similar to Serena. Though Serena had saved Rachel from bullies many times in the past, the two of them had never gotten along with each other, and this vain personality trait was partially why. "Just because everyone treats you like a spoiled princess, doesn't mean you are one!"

"I never said I was a princess, but I do deserve all the things I have!" Nami yelled, also pissed off.

"Yeah, you deserve everything all right! From this house you earned, to the weather knot you almost borrowed, to the ship you're trying to buy off me!" The detective gave a sardonic laugh. "Oh wait, you didn't earn any of these things; you lied, cheated, and attempted to steal my only ride back to ground!"

"Hey! I need this ship! My crew needs me to find them!" Nami defended.

"How would your crew feel knowing that you stole form a little kid?" The detective challenged. "How do they feel about you being a liar and a cheater, do they even trust you with money? I know I sure as hell wouldn't! I know a girl a lot like you, and even she's better than this! She's no damn thief!"

SLAP! It was unknown when Nami made the moves to get up and actually strike the boy, but in the long-run it didn't matter, Conan's cheek was stinging painfully, and Nami had her face, facing downwards. But the detective noticed something wet was coming down from her face, he observed the woman carefully. She was crying, she stood up abruptly and left the room, slamming the door behind her. Conan looked to ground angrily, and punched the table beside him.

He knew he had crossed the line, but he absolutely hated people who thought they could get whatever they wanted simply because they were pretty. While Lupin's girlfriend was like that, she wasn't flamboyant about it, to the point where it was annoying to him. Not to mention, he barely ever saw the infamous pair. Lupin and Kid Kaito were both thieves, but they never stole like it was their right, they stole to help other people. Not to mention, they were into the steals, not themselves; which Conan was quite thankful for. He glanced out the window, noting it was still raining, he decided to search the ship for an umbrella or some kind of cover and head out for a walk, he desperately needed to clear his head.

**Outside**

Going outside for a walk- big mistake! The wind was terrible, it was rainy, and due to the extreme weather patterns of the island, it was very dark. After awhile of walking around the town or villa of the island, Conan gave up and hid out in a random building he walked into.

"Welcome to the Weatheria Inn, Conan-kun." Herades smiled at him, and sipping coffee. He was sitting behind a normal front desk, and seemed to have been reading a book when Conan came in.

"Ah. Herades-san, thank you." Conan gave nod. "I decided to take a stroll, but I wasn't expecting the storm to be this bad."

"That's Weatheria for you…it's weather is on schedule, but it still takes you by surprise." Laughed the old man.

"So it would seem." Conan sat down on a chair in the lobby.

"You and Nami-chan had a fight, huh?" The weather wizard asked.

"That obvious?" Was the boy's response.

"I don't think you'd walking around in a bad rainstorm unless otherwise. In fact the weather's so bad, a man stopped by here for the night, because his ship seemed to crash in midair. According to him, a lightning bolt struck it, and he managed to land on this island miraculously, isn't it amazing Conan-kun?" Herades smiled in fascination.

The detective raised a brow. "May I meet him?"

"Eh. He's in the dining room, ordering dinner." Herades motioned Conan to the room to his right. "You can spend the night here too, if you think it's necessary."

"Ah. Arigato." Conan bowed and walked forward. The small inn had a nice facility, a very well kept dining room, and the person who seemed to be sipping coffee seemed to be content. But when Conan got a better look at him, his jaw practically dropped- in front of him, sipping coffee and reading paper was none-other than Donflamingo. Conan hadn't seen this bastard since Sabaody, what the hell was he doing here? As he was about to dash out of the restaurant, Conan felt the familiar sensation of the paralysis he encountered before.

"Going somewhere, Detective Kudo?" The warlord smirked, and made walking motions with his fingers, puppetting Conan over to him. The detective stiffed up when he was directly in front of the tall man. "Relax…I'm just here to talk. I wanted to exchange updates with you."

"Why?" Conan asked suspiciously.

"Come on…you can't deny that this'll be useful to you, and at this point…it can't hurt." He smirked. "Besides…you really want that little navigator crying in the ship to get hurt? She'd make a good sell to a lucky man."

"Tch." Conan clenched his fists, understanding the threat. "You go first."

"That's fair enough." Donflamingo laughed. "They're panicked." He squatted on the chair, which looked rather awkward due to his long legs.

"Who is?" The detective asked.

"Everyone- the World Government, the Gorosei, the Navy, and the Black Organization. They seem to be pretty desperate to get over here for some reason; yet, they refuse to come over here now because Dr. VegaPunk is missing, and…you haven't been found yet. I don't know what they're afraid of…but apparently they really want you dead. Seems as though no one can work the machines in Mariejois except for Sentomaru and Dr. VegaPunk; my job is to find the location of one of them." The warlord licked his lips.

"So that's why you came here." Conan glared. "How'd you know I was here?"

"Honestly I was going to go find the Revolutionary ship and attack it; I just stopped by Weatheria for some coffee, and I find you here." He explained. "Imagine my luck."

"What do I get if I tell you were Sentomaru-san is?" He demanded.

"Two things: I'll let you and the Strawhat navigator go peacefully, and I'll even give you the parts you need to fix that Supernova's ship." The boa-man replied. "Do we have a deal?"

"What makes you think I'll trust you? You tricked me into revealing my plans to Pappug-san, what makes you think I'll fall for something like that again?" Conan glared.

"You're right! There's no reason for you to feel threatened because it appears I have nothing but information over you! Now I remember what Gin-san said!" The detective tensed at the name. "He said that you respond to hostages, not threats." The shichibukai snapped his fingers. From behind the kitchen, two men dressed similarly to Donflamingo appeared, holding a woman with a bag over her face in place. The detective got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Show the lovely lady where her date will be." The bad was pulled off, confirming Conan's fear. Nami looked around the room, panting, her face was red, and her body was wobbly. The men let her drop to the ground.

"Nami-san!" Conan ran to her side, and noted she had a bad bruise on the side of her head. "Bastards! All of you!" One of the men suddenly grabbed Conan and put a knife in Nami's hand. "What are you doing? Leave her alone!"

"I heard the two of you got into quite a spat on the ship. That's no good for a partnership." Donflamingo said casually. Using his fingers, he had Nami put the knife to her own throat.

"S-Stop!" Nami managed to gasp out despite the weak state she was in.

"Stop it!" Conan thrashed around. "Please!"

"Calm down, I won't have her kill herself just yet." Donflamingo replied. "Now then…where's Sentomaru-kun again?"

Growling, Conan knew he had no choice; his flashbacks of the helplessness from Blackbeard's ship were starting to come back to him. "He's with Monkey D. Dragon-san on the revolutionary fleet ship; he's being treated for torture."

"Good…that wasn't so bad now, was it?" The shichibukai snapped his fingers, dropping Conan and Nami. The navigator scrambled to her knees, and Conan helped steady her instantly. "Now for my end of the deal…" Nami and Conan looked at the man warily. "I leave you with the part and let you live; it wouldn't be any fun to me if you died after all." One of his men dropped a box in front of them, and turned to leave the inn. As the warlord walked out, Conan asked.

"Why let us live?"

Turning his head back slightly, the boa-man smirked sadistically. "This is an interesting game, I don't wish to see it end yet, but…as a player of the game, I need to advance my pieces. Don't expect another helping hand again kid." With that, the Shichibukai walked out of the restaurant, leaving Nami and Conan alone.

Turning to the orange-haired woman, the detective slowly guided her the best he could to a chair and sat her down in it. He looked outside the window and noted it was finally starting to light up. He turned back to Nami, who seemed to be recovering from shock. "…I'm sorry."

"For what?" Though the navigator knew.

"For what just happened; Franky-san got hurt for associating with me too, and now this happened." Conan looked away with clenched fists. "I'm truly sorry. We were trapped on Blackbeard-san's ship, and one of his crew-mates tortured us until we passed out; I tried make him leave Franky-san alone, but I couldn't. And…" The boy was suddenly pulled into a soft hug.

"You really are just a kid aren't you? You've got a lot of things to explain to me, but…you are just a kid; I'm sorry that I forgot that." Nami sighed. "I was working on one of my maps, when those men broke in and put a sack over my head. I haven't felt this helpless in a long time; I'm so used to my crew protecting me, and my weather baton was out of reach, so I had no way to fight back. How useless am I?"

"I'm so useless that I crashed a flying ship into someone's house." Conan blushed in embarrassment.

"HAHAHAHA!" Nami swatted him on the back. "You're right! You are more useless than me! HAHAHA!"

"Glad you're cheered up again." The detective looked to the box in the middle of the room. "Donflamingo-san's a bastard, but…he wants us to continue for whatever reason, so we can trust that what ever's in the box will be reliable."

"Yosh! Let's get to it!" Nami declared.

**The next Day**

Surprisingly, the shichibukai kept his word on the reliable piece, for it not only was indeed reliable, but it also came with very detailed instructions. As he helped Nami apply it to the ship, he couldn't help but frown from yesterday's events. He wasn't sure how, but the World Government knew exactly where he had been on this island, and were most likely watching him now. How was that possible? Were agents tailing him? He didn't know, but he intended to find out. Also, there was this Dr. VegaPunk guy, he needed to find him as well. "Edogawa-kun! Let's see if it works!"

"Ah!" The fake child followed the orange-haired woman's suit.

**5min Later**

"It works! It works!" Nami danced in glee and held Conan as jumped for joy.

"That's great! So let's go to Amazon Lilly!" Conan exclaimed.

"Not so fast!" Nami abruptly dropped the boy. "We can't just go on a voyage! We have to prepare, make routes, I refuse to go on an impromptu adventure again! I have an opportunity to actually set a course to sail without Luffy here, and I'm taking it!"

"Okay…" Conan replied. "Hey Nami-san…" She stopped ranting and looked at him. "About what I said yesterday…I'm sorry…I shouldn't have said all that."

"…Before I met Luffy, I was forced to work for this Fishman crew called the Arlong pirates, and I was forced to lie, cheat, and steal to buy back my home village that had been taken over by him. If I cooperated on being his navigator, and stole enough money, then I could buy back everyone's freedom. Luffy fought and beat Arlong, liberating me and the entire village. I vowed to never steal from Luffy or any of my crew again after that, and I became a Strawhat pirate and a new person. I'd do anything for the Strawhat crew Edogawa-kun, don't you forget that."

"I had no idea." The boy was speechless. "I truly am sorry, then."

"I deserved it. I was so anxious to get off this island, so ready to find Luffy and the others, that I was willing to put you in harm's way to get there." She replied, looking down. "My captain never would've done that, he never would've allowed any of us to do that. So…I'm sorry too."

"Nami-san…truce?" Conan smiled and held out his hand.

The orange-haired girl smiled and took it. "Truce. Now then, back to preparation and travel route. I need you to go out food shopping- here's the list. And be back here in an hour." Sh shoved a long list of groceries to him. "Don't worry…I won't leave without you."

"T-Thanks!"

**1hr Later**

With the food shopping done, route decided, and a goodbye note to Herades, they were ready to set sail! Keeping their fingers crossed, they pushed a green button in the control system, and they felt the ship hover. Pulling a lever, both smiled when they felt the ship fly into the air safely. Conan went out to the deck and smiled at the sight. They were slowly descending into the sea below, not realizing that they had forgotten something.

**Herades**

"Oh dear…Nami-chan forgot one of her swimsuits…I guess I'll keep this…in case she ever comes back…" He slowly turned to see a bunch of old weather wizards who had come to the area to see what the fuss was about. Now, they were treated to the sight of Nami's skimpy poka-dot bikini. In two seconds, a powerful rumble of perverted old men occurred, grabbing for the small source of young women.

**Back with Conan and Nami**

Setting the ship on autopilot, Nami and Conan felt relief when the ship landed gracefully into the sea. Looking at her logpose, Namie smiled. "Great! Right on course!"

"To Amazon Lilly?" The detective asked.

"Nope! We're stopping at Momoiro Island first!" She declared.

"Momoiro island? Why? What's there?" The detective asked confused.

"Amazon Lilly is an female-only island, which means I can get in fine. You on the other hand, will need a disguise! We're going clothes shopping!" The navigator was way to excited for the detective's liking.

"What does that have to do with Momoiro Island?" Conan twitched in annoyance at the thought of being dressed up.

"It's the Kamabakka Kingdom!" She explained happily. "Basically, the island's full of nothing but transvestites, which means that they'll have clothes specifically for this reason!"

Conan paled. "Are you sure actual women are allowed on the island then?"

"Yep! After all, they consider themselves women, and it wouldn't be lady-like to turn down a fellow woman!" Nami explained cheerfully.

Seeing her gleeful expression. Conan couldn't help but think, 'This is going to be hell.'

**Review Please**


	26. Sands of Time

**Hey guys! Happy New Year! So, I'm glad people liked how I did Nami's island, and I apologize if her attitude seemed slightly inaccurate, but it was for the story! In this chapter, they do arrive on Sanji's island, but only at the end. You see...I've wrote Sanji's part, but I discovered it was fairly complicated, and it'll take a couple chapters to get through, but I promise, you'll like how it's spaced out. And yes, I've decided that when the time comes, Conan will meet Luffy alone, and Luffy will stay with Conan through the rest of his journey (Luffy will not go to Conan's world). Also, another twist has been added, and if you guys don't like it, let me know and I'll take it out. So without further ado, please read, enjoy, and review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed**

Dragon looked out into the sea regretfully, he shouldn't have pushed the boy that far, but he and his comrades finally had their chance to change the world, and they weren't letting that go. The World Government had done some dastardly deeds in the past, but this was the first they had actually kidnapped someone from a different world, and if this continued, more and more people would suffer. After gathering Intel on the Black Organization, Dragon had to detest their existence; they were essentially a huge splinter section from the government in Conan's world that were hell-bent on changing the world because they were unsatisfied with how society had treated them in their pasts. Just like him and his comrades, the Black Organization was trying to get justice in any way they could, which apparently put their world's 'best marine' at risk.

As much as Dragon hated to admit it, the Black Organization was its own revolutionary army that was trying to change a bad situation to good, no matter who they had to sacrifice. Conan, like many marines that worked for the World Government, had been disillusioned into thinking he was working for the greater good by catching 'criminals' and preventing 'attacks', when he most likely was fueling the greater corruption to the very people he was trying to protect.

"Inazuna." He called over the okama, who sauntered over with his wine glass (in male mode). "Contact Ivankov, Shanks, and Rayleigh; it's about time they got in the game."

"Iva-chan I can understand, but…is it really wise to ask Shanks-san? You know how he feels about the Revolutionary army." The bi-colored man pointed out.

"Ah. I'm sure; a revolution is upon us, and we cannot afford to spare expenses. I'm not sure wheat mental state the boy's in, or what he's planning, so we need to extend the search to the people who know the Grand Line best. Shanks and Rayleigh know the Grand Line better than anyone today, and Ivankov has the most connections out of anyone here. We can't afford to lose him." Dragon sighed.

"Very well, I'll make the calls." Inazuna sipped his wine and walked off, passing his dark-haired comrade. "Good day, Miss Nico."

"You too, Inazuna-san." Robin did a curt nod and went to stand beside Dragon. After a moment of watching waves and seagulls, Robin finally spoke. "You wanted to see me?"

"Ah. I want to know why you helped the boy escaped." Dragon didn't waste any time, he knew the genius woman was the only one that could've helped. "I thought you understood the importance of this time, Nico-kun. Do you not understand what significance that boy has? How vital he is to this war? Not to mention, the information he has on you and your mother-"

"The same information you do not tell me, Dragon-san?" She interrupted curtly. The revolutionary leader, looked at her shocked. Robin's expression didn't change. "I'm not an idiot Dragon-san, when you and your men claimed to have done all this research and effort into finding me, that would obviously include my family. I don't know what relevance my mother has to the revolutionary war, nor do I know what connections Admiral Aokiji has to it, all I know is that during your course of the investigation on me, you stumbled upon this information as well and have kept it from me." Dragon looked at her to finish. "To be blunt, you knew too much when you found me, Inazuna-san knew too much about me. It only came to my attention about what kind of information you did know from Edogawa-kun, for…Edogawa-kun most likely looked at the same records you did, but unlike you, required enough evidence to blackmail Admiral Aokiji. Am I not correct in saying this?"

"Nico-kun…please understand…we're not trying to hurt, not someone who's fighting so passionately against the World Government. You're one of us now-" Dragon was cut-off.

"No, I'm not; I've rejected your offer once, and I'll do it again. I have a crew that loves me and would do anything to protect me, and I'll go back to them even if it kills me." Robin intrreuped pointedly. "Which is why I let Edogawa-kun go…"

"Excuse me?" Dragon raised a brow.

"The boy that my crewmates and Pappug-san described was a smart, cautious, meticulous, and confident boy who overestimates himself, and gets himself into trouble because of his overconfidence and paranoid nature. He means no harm, but thinks that he needs to take everything on himself because he believes he will only danger people around him. The boy we and the Whitebeard crew met, was a calculating, indifferent, and impersonal boy who has no sense of moral responsibility to the people he gets involved in his escapades." A smile played onto her lips. "I don't know which is true and which isn't, all I know is…he helped my crewmates, and he was willing to place himself in the line of fire for my crewmates. I truly can't hate him for that, Dragon-san."

"And that's worth letting him go?" Dragon questioned.

"No, I didn't let him go because I wanted to." Robin responded. "I let him go because that's what my captain would've done."

"Luffy?" Dragon's eyes widened.

"Your son's by far the kindest person I've ever met, Dragon-san; my crew mates and I are proud to call him our captain." She let a true smile come on. "Our captain is indeed too trusting, too kind, but…when it comes to reading people, he's never let us down. He would've trusted Edogawa-kun because he knew Edogawa-kun desperately would want to trust us. I followed the way of the Strawhat crew, Dargon-san…not the revolutionaries."

"Your decision may cost us." Her temporary leader sighed.

"I know. But that's never once stopped our captain, and I couldn't call myself a member if I allowed it stop me." Despite the grim situation, the breeze still blew on the clear day.

**With Conan and Nami**

While they were right on course to the pink island, Nami had to admit she was slightly out of her element with Uroge's ship. After realizing just how advanced the technology was compared to the Thousand Sunny, she found it a bit harder to navigate that usual. To make things even more embarrassing, it was clear, sunny day, with smooth water; making sailing the ship much easier than normal and she was still messing up. Not to mention, the way she was steering the boat was causing it swerve, spin, duck, and rise on several occasions, causing Conan to get major sea sickness. The poor detective had never gotten sea sick before, proving just how bad the orange-haired girl was steering. The detective guessed it was from the high velocity-travel that he experienced a few days ago on the ship, and his body was still getting over the traumatic experience. Staggering out of the sick bay, he managed to join Nami in the control room. "How much further?"

"We still have about a day left." Nami sighed, feeling bad for the boy. "Did you find any medicine in the medicine cabinet?"

"Yeah…I don't think it helped." Conan groaned, feeling vomit come back up to his throat. "Excuse me!" He ran back into the sickbay, shutting the bathroom door behind him.

"Poor kid…" Nami put a hand on hip, and felt something in her jean pocket. Reaching into it curiously, she gaped at what she pulled out. It was the wind knot from Weatheria that Herades 'gave' her. She honestly didn't mean to steal it this time, she must've forgot to put it back when she rushed off the island with Conan. Looking at the knot and the ocean in front of her, she smirked; she found a faster way.

**Conan**

The fake child put his head back from above the toilet seat miserably, hoping his stomach was well-emptied out by now. Suddenly, he felt a sudden rush to the ship, as if the ship was being pushed forward. His eyes widened, and ran up to the control room, and saw Nami outside…with the wind knot she had showed him on Weatheria. Seeing how she was using it, and how fast they were going, Conan twitched. "…Wow it's actually been done…someone stole wind." The detective sweat-dropped, feeling to sick to really fight her. In fact, the speed was making it worse, and he ran back to the sick bay again; this was worse than the amusement park with Rachel. At least those rides only lasted two minutes!

**Nami**

While her companion was currently puking his guts out, she was having the time of her life; feeling the giant rushes of wind with each set of knots. It was an amazing feeling, she was definitely keeping this thing! With one last set of three knots, she turned towards the bow of the ship, and smiled when the flamboyant pink island came to view. "Edogawa-kun! We're here!" She frowned when she didn't get a response. She went inside to control room and to the sick bay, only to be beyond horrified. The young detective was on the ground, on his stomach, his hands splayed at his sides, a string of vomit hanging from his mouth, and was running a high fever. Horrified, the navigator picked him up gently, and cradled his head in her lap, remembering that the most important was stabilization from Chopper.

"Nami-san…?" Conan looked up at her, seeing the worry on her face. The detective frowned, he should've known that what he had wasn't a typical flu bug or sea sickness. That was his last thought before passing out.

**Marineford**

Garp stared at Tsuru in an almost dejected manner. Really, he knew Sengoku's idea regarding the Black Organization was bad, but he had no idea it was going to turn out like this. The only reasons why he was grateful for this Black Organization business was the safety of his two grandsons. He knew Ace was safe, but he had absolutely no idea where Luffy was. "Don't worry Garp-san…as long as Luffy-kun stays uninvolved, he'll remain uninvolved. Although at the rate this is going…he'll soon become involved."

"I wasn't aware you read minds." Garp gruffed.

"I don't, you're merely predictable." She replied. "This whole thing is a disaster, out of all people those idiots chose to involve- Donflamingo and Blackbeard, I knew the Shichibukai would be an opponent of mine, but someone as deranged as Blackbeard. That's absurd!"

"You still think of this as a strategy game?" Garp asked in a careful voice.

"No. It's become much more than that now, I know that." Tsuru sighed. "The Gorosei are panicking about all the information Edogawa-kun is recovering, so their placing a world-wide lock-down on the Grand Line until the boy is found; it's only making Donflamingo more eager and aggressive, spreading the information to the Revolutionaries and the Pirates, at this rate the Gorosei, Tequila Wolf, Noah, the Void Century, all of those secrets will be revealed. All because they got too overconfident with an enemy they assumed was waker than them. I find this interesting all the same Garp-san, just tragic."

"Tragic? How so?" The old sea dog didn't like the sound of that.

"Unfortunately, there are biological complication involving human teleportation- for example, height, weight, age, strength, health conditions, and even…diseases. It's one thing to teleport inanimate objects with nothing else working inside it, however a living specimen with organs, blood, vaccinations, is completely different. What I'm saying it, according to research done by VegaPunk before he disappeared is…the vital signs of the human or living specimen will start to break down after a month, and eventually…will deteriorate."

"WHAT?" Garp exclaimed. "You mean that detective kid is dying?"

"Ah. It's like trying to make a shark survive in a lake Garp-san…yes it's water, yes it has fish it can eat, yes it is under the sun, but it's not the same water and not the same world. It will eventually cease to exist in it because it wasn't built to survive in fresh water, and that boy is no different. It's been almost three weeks, I suspect the process has already begun." She sighed.

Garp clenched his fists. "So that's why the Navy and World Government have taken a step back from this…they knew the boy's in danger of dying."

"Yes. If he dies naturally, then it doesn't matter either way, the Black Organization find this amusing enough to watch, so they've agreed to do it this way as well." The strategist explained.

"…How long does he have?" Garp asked with a pursed lip. "Have you and Sengoku known about this the whole time?"

"He has about a week and a half left, and yes…only I and Sengoku knew." Tsuru replied, not flinching when she felt haki irradiate from her comrade. "When I gave him the choice of 'Do or Die', I meant it, and Edogawa-kun knew I meant it, I just never specified the deadline of the choice to the boy."

**With Conan and Nami**

The detective was going in and out of unconsciousness, and was vaguely aware of all the things Nami was doing to attempt to stabilize him. She stripped him down to his underwear and put him under cold water in the shower, and then found a fresh shirt from the ship somewhere (it was so huge on his frame it was nightgown), and was currently in Nami's arms out on the deck for some reason. He could feel the ship anchor and the navigator rush forward while she was carrying him, things were blurry to him even with his glasses. Conan wasn't sure if he was hallucinating or not at this point, but he was certain that there was a pinkish rainbow over the island, could've swore the sand was pink, and Nami was currently running through a town of transvestatites that were giving the girl random directions. But the last thing Conan saw before he passed out was the most bizaare, and concluded that it had to be an illusion.

Running toward them was a tall, lean man, with a curly brow, short blonde hair, dressed in a three-piece suit, and had giant hearts in his eyes. "NAMI-SWAN! HOW IMISSED YOU! THANK YOU FOR COMING TO RESCUE ME FROM THIS HELL! THERE'S NO WOMEN HERE! BUT NOW THAT YOU'RE HERE, WE CAN-" Nami promptly shoved the blonde aside, and ran ahead of him. That was the last hing Conan saw before he truly passed out.

**Review Please!**


	27. Clothes hide the Person

**Hey guys! I decided to do more than one update this week with my stories because I got done with the parts, I want the stories to move along, and I realized at this rate, it's going to be forever until I start writing the alternative version of 'Hell's Babysitting' and start on another major crossover fic! I promise to finish both fics first, I swear! So, this week, we'll end Sanji's part and hopefully arrive on Zoro, I'm not sure, but I'm hoping. Zoro's part is looking farily complicated, so I'm not sure how long it's going to take to get to Luffy. Anyways, I've pretty much mapped out the story from here, and everyone's favorites will be included. So, relax, enjoy, and review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed**

Conan blinked awake and groggily got up from the bed he was sleeping in. He looked around and wasn't sure if he was awake or not; the room he was in was obviously apart of some medical wing, the question was: why was everything pink? The bed, curtains, the glass was tinted, even the medical equipment was pink. Looking down at his hospital gown he realized that he too was in pink. Pinching himself to make sure he actually was awake, he glanced to his side and saw his glasses and clothes (including his belt) folded neatly on a chair. At least they didn't take away his glasses or belt. He wondered in Nami-san had done that. The detective's eyes widened when he remembered that he hadn't been traveling alone; what the hell happened? One moment he was sea sick, the next moment he was vomiting dry chunks of vomit and had passed out most likely from the loss of body fluids, fever, and exhaustion. Turning to the door when the knob jiggled, he noted that a well-dressed okama walked in.

He was dressed as a nurse, in a revealing nurse outfit that suited his body horribly, including his non-shaved hairy legs. Really, the detective had nothing against okamas, it was just annoying and disturbing to watch when they did not pull off the look the were going for. Shaking his head, Conan cleared his head and remembered why he was so stressed. "Ah! I see you're awake Edogawa-kun!"

"How do you know my name?" Conan looked at the okama wearily.

"Nami-chan told us of course! She was in such a rush when she brought you here! She was panicking, and said you needed treatment right away! Oh! Poor dear! Are you all right? You ran quite a fever!" The medical okama exclaimed.

"Nami-san's here? Is she okay? What happened to her?" He demanded.

At this, the nurse okama actually looked annoyed and huffed. "Hmph! First Sanji-kun's obsessed with her, now you! She's stealing all the good men on the island!"

"Er…miss?" Conan sweat-dropped.

"Honestly! Just because we don't have the boobs or legs to compete with real women doesn't mean we're any less beautiful! Got it?" The okama exclaimed.

Conan gulped. "Y-Yeah, got it. Er…the reason why I was asking was because Nami-san was traveling with me to help me get to Amazon Lilly. I hired her as a Navigator. I just wanted to make sure she was okay since I passed out before we reach the island. This is Momoiro island, right?"

The okama went back to smiling after the boy's explanation. "That it is! And thanks so much for clearing up the misunderstanding, I'm Bentham, by the way! I'll be attending to you, while you stay here!"

"Thanks Bentham-san…my name's Conan Edogawa, but…I guess Nami-san already told you that, huh?" He smiled.

"Yep! She also told us that you need to clothes to go to Amazon Lilly, and you've come to tright place! Honestly, those stuck up little bitches annoy me! They think they're so high and mighty because Boa Hancock is their empress!" Bentham broke the clipboard.

"Why what's so special about Hancock-san?" Conan found the woman's name strange certainly. He couldn't help but be reminded of American history, and he hated that subject.

"Hmph! Some time in her youth, she ate the Mero Mero no Mi, which literally makes men and women of all kinds fall in love with her at first glance! In fact, it's said that she supposedly is the most beautiful woman in the world! Honestly! What does she have, that we don't? I have the Clone Clone fruit! I can be just as pretty!" The okama then morphed into a tall, blindingly beautiful black-haired woman, which couldn't have been real!

"No idea…" He decided to drop the dangerous subject. "Bentham-san…do you or the doctors have any idea what was wrong with me…I mean, my sea sickness suddenly became a life-threatening fever. That doesn't just happen right? I'm not a doctor, but…should I be worried?"

"I'm not sure honestly. According to our records, you had a latent allergic reaction to some kind of snack food you had eaten a few nights ago. Try to avoid those from now on; we don't need a handsome devil like you, getting into trouble." Bentham winked. Conan frowned, he had eaten the same chips earlier, and he hadn't gotten sick. Maybe it was food poisoning; brushing it off for now, he turned back to the okama nurse. "Bentham-san…can I get changed and find Nami-san; I'd like to check in with her."

"Sure! She's eating in the mess hall, where Sanji-kun is lavishing her." The okama seemed annoyed as hell about that for some reason.

Nodding, Conan gathered his clothes and glass and turned back to the nurse. "Would you mind stepping outside while I change?"

"Of course! I'm so sorry! It can't be comfortable changing in front of a woman!" The okama quickly left, leaving the detective to his business.

Conan sighed and began getting dressed, he frowned at how narrow his waist looked. He had lost too much from this, and needed to find a better way to nourish himself.

**Nami and Sanji**

"Nami-swan, my sweet! Do you require anything else of me, my love?" Sanji asked with hearts in his eyes.

"No Sanji-kun, I'm fine; just sit down with me." The orange-haired girl sighed and started talking again when the cook finally settled down. "So there's really no women on this island, huh?"

"NO! NONE! IT'S HELL!" Sanji declared. "THIS PLACE I HELL! THERE'S NO ESCAPING THESE PEOPLE! BUT I CAN START SAILING WITH MY ONE TRUE LOVE AGAIN!"

"Sanji-kun, we're in a dining room, keep your voice down." She looked down at the beautifully-crafted soup prepared for her, and got an idea. "Make some soup up for Edogawa-kun, he threw up everything he had in his stomach yesterday and more, and I'm kind of worried about him."

"Of course! I'll be back my love!" The blonde dashed off ot complete the order.

Nami sighed. "Honestly, you don't see him for a week or two and he doesn't change at all; I hope no one else has changed either." She smiled at the thought of her crewmates. She hoped they were okay.

"Nami-san!" The orange-haired girl turned her head to the same okama nurse that treated her. Her eyes brightened considerably when she saw her young companion in better health. "This little guy's all better, but keep him on light foods for awhile! Don't want him getting sick again!"

"Edogawa-kun!" Nami sprang forward and glomped the little detective in a bear hug. "I'm so sorry! I thought you got sick form my bad steernig! I was so scared! I thought you were going to die!"

"Nami-san…" Conan mumbled astonished.

"Then I never would've gotten my money!" She finished, making the detective twitch. That's what the panic was about? The detective blinked when he felt a murderous aura in front of him, he blinked and came face to face with the same blonde man that had been calling out to Nami in a strange way.

"Uh…hi?" Conan said lamely, at which the blonde shef's glare merely became harder.

Nami turned around to, and smiled. "Oh Sanji-kun! This is Conan Edogawa, the boy who's contracted me to take him to Amazon Lilly!"

"I see." The chef managed a polite smile, but Conan could tell it was forced. The chef crouched down to Conan's eye level and manged to ask, "How did you meet my sweet Nami-swan?"

"I…wait, didn't Nami-san already tell you?" Conan looked at the orange-haired navigator.

"I did. He's the kid who crashed into my house at Weahteria with a ship he hijacked." She explained pleasantly.

"I see." The chef stood up straight and put the plate down on the table. "Bentham, go get that Iva-baka, would you?"

"Sure thing!" The okama winked and rushed off, sending a chill down the chef's spine. When the nurse left, Sanji's polite smile turned into a look he'd give the Strawhat first mate. "Teme, you made my Nami-swan cry." The detective blinked, the chef stepped forward ominously. And before he knew what happened next, Conan made a rolling dodge to avoid a powerful stomp, and narrowing missed a lethal strike aimed for his side. Sanji was about to attack again, until Nami bashed him over the head.

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU? HE'S STILL RECOVERING AND I SAID I WAS OVER IT!" Nami screeched.

"Yes! All is forgiven!" Sanji suddenly pulled Conan up by the armpits and sat him the chair. The detective swore he did that in a time span in less than a minute. With hearts in his eyes, he pet Conan's head encouragingly. "Come eat! You must be famished!"

Looking at the soup suspiciously, Conan had to admit it looked fairly good. His stomach wasn't doing too decently, but he'd take what he could get for his deteriorating weight. He knew from experience it was not good to starve yourself on a fever. Seeing how he seemed to obey Nami's every word, he deduced it was 90% safe. Taking his first slurp, he tasted spinach and high-quality Parmesan cheese with some kind of spice. It was very good, mild soup for some one of his condition. "So…I didn't think we've met officially, uh…"

"Sanji." The chef puffed his cigarette. "I'm the chef of the Strawhat crew."

'I knew it.' Conan inwardly groaned but acted surprised. "Seriously? I really do keep running into you guys! So Kuma-san sent you to this island, huh?"

"Ah, and I heard from my Nami-swan that you've met everyone except our captain and that shitty marimo." Sanji took another drag. "You've got to understand why we're so suspicious of you, you coincidentally show up around the same time we get separated, stop Ace-san's execution, and have somehow managed to run into us in such an order. So you've seen Robin-chwan and the others, how are they?"

"They're fine." Conan took another slurp. "They're with the Revolutionaries and Whitebeard-san's ship; Robin-san's the one that helped me escape."

"I see. You never told my Nami-swan why you escaped, it's more than the World Government, right?" Sanji sent the boy a pointed look. "You wouldn't have left all that security without a reason."

"Your crewmates are fine." Conan answered. "Robin-san helped me escape, and she can give you the full explanation on what's going on, but I honestly can't tell you guys right now. I'm sorry."

"Then tell us about Rob Lucci." Nami spoke up. "We fought him and the rest of CP9 awhile ago on an island called Water 7; their base at Enies Lobby was not a place I want to remember. Lucci lied, cheated, and made us think that Robin betrayed us and had left the crew, those bastards even destroyed our old ship the Going Merry. We loved that ship and we were all terrified of losing each other, so pardon us if we find your story about Rob Lucci helping you, Franky, and Sentomaru of all people escape."

"No, I understand your suspicions. They're all justified." The detective frowned; the part about Lucci was actually true. "Unfortunately, I can't tell you Lucci-san's reasons for doing so, but…he wanted me to give a message to Boa Hancock!" Now he knew where he heard that name! the list of Shichibuaki back at Marineford when he first came to this universe! "Though, I am forbidden from looking at the contents of the letter, I am to deliver a message to Boa Hancock-san as requested by the World Government! I don't know why the World Government wants the message, but that's the situation!" He hated lying again, but he couldn't tell them the truth either! It sounded like they wouldn't believe him anyways!

After a moment or two, Nami finally spoke. "See? Was that so hard? No wonder you have so much cash!"

"Geez! Don't lie to a lady, baka!" Sanji lightly bashed the boy on the head.

"So…you guys will still take me to Amazon Lilly?" Conan asked hopefully.

"Of course!" Sanji drooled expectantly. "An island of women! IT'S HEAVEN!"

"I have to collect my pay afterall!" She smiled. "Besides, it sounds like if we stay with you, we'll end up meeting up with our crew!"

"So it's settled then!" Conan smiled in relief and continued eating.

**2 hours Later**

The three non-okamas were visiting in the library for some quiet time, and peace after the okamas on the island tried to abduct Conan and Sanji and dress them up. The detective grimaced, he hated shopping with Rachel and Serena, and he was going to want stab himself in the threat with this. He felt a lot better today than he had before, that soup was amazing! Sanji had explained that the cooking here was specifically designed to make your body stronger and heal faster, hence why the soup was so rejuvenating.

BAM! The three of them jumped at the door being throw open, and Conan rubbed his eyes at what he saw. He noted that Nami was staring in awe, while Sanji was hiding behind a chair in the library. Out of all the people had had come across in this bizarre universe, he was certain this guy took the prize for strangest human. The man was several stories taller than him, but even saying that the man was about as tall as the admirals, but that's not what made him so bizarre. Like the rest of the men, he was an okama, but Conan wondered if he was human. He had a purple afro, giant smile, wore a red wrestler leotard, white boots, white cape, but the head! The head was twice as large as his body and took up most of his height! The big-headed man stared at the three guests in the library and pointed to them. "You two! You have some nerve to appear on this island and steal all the attention away form Sanji-kun!"

"Excuse me?" Conan and Nami asked at the same time.

"Yes! A woman showing up in Kambakka kingdom is unheard of, but making a man ignore my girls is completely inexcusable! Sanji-kun's mine!" The okama declared.

"LIKE HELL I AM!" Sanji yelled. "FOR THE LAST TIME YOU CRAZY OKAMA, I WILL NOT BECOME ONE OF YOU! I LOVE WOMEN! MEN CAN'T DEFEAT WOMEN! THEY NEVER CAN!"

"Er…who are you exactly?" Nami spoke up.

"Ah yes! I am Emporio Ivankov! Queen of this island and Kamabakka kingdom! And you, girly, aren't allowed on this island! This is for okama and men only! No women allowed! Now, off you go! Shoo!" Iva actually made shooing motions with his hands.

"TEME! DON'T TALK TO NAMI-SWAN LIKE THAT!" He kicked at the okama. Iva merely winked at him, which caused an explosion to happen.

Conan gulped. "Devil fruit?"

"Devil fruit." Nami nodded.

"DON'T WORRY NAMI-SWAN! I'LL PROTECT YOU!" Sanji declared and charged at the okama again.

**2hrs Later**

Conan and Nami stared in awe at the battle that just played out in front of them, with winks the okama queen had completely thrashed the kicking chef. Dusting his hands off, Iva turned to the other two visitors. He pointed once again at Nami. "As I was saying, leave-"

"Ivankov-sama, wait!" Conan got in front of her. "It's my fault we're here, I got sick out at sea, and Nami-san had no choice but to pull over! We had no idea Sanji-san was here, but he made soup from that battle cooking he learned and it really helped me! So please don't blame Nami-san for this."

"Edogawa-kun." The navigator murmured.

"Hmm…." Iva rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You're Conan-kun, aren't you?"

"Yeah. How do you know my name?" Conan blinked.

"Ah! Bentham-chan told me you also came here for clothes! I love dressing little boys up, so let's not waste time!" Iva did a complete mood switch, and lead them all back in the castle. 'Now the hell begins.' Conan inwardly thought.

**Changing Room**

If Conan hated clothes shopping before, he flat-out loathed it now; due to amusement and force of Nami, Sanji, and Ivankov, he had to go through several outfits: cowgirl, hula girl, Victorian, anf finally settled on a simple look wih feathers. Apparently, Amazon Lilly considered feather boas sexy as well as trendy. Conan stared at himself in the mirror, twitching. "AH! Edogawa-kun! This suits you beautifully!"

"I look like I walked out of a costume shop." He groaned.

"Don't say that! You look awesome! Right, Sanji-kun?" Nami smiled.

"Of course!" The blonde agreed instantly.

"This look is best suited for you and Amazon Lilly!" Ivankov exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Seriously?" The detective looked at himself, and had to laugh. He was dressed in a flowy, light blue dress with feathers trimming the bottom, had a v-line cut with feathers, and it sparkled like crazy. It looked like he had lost a bet with Wal, and had to present himself to his high school. "I look like a Peacock."

"Exactly! Own that dress as if you were a peacock!" Iva exclaimed. "That's what you'll wear when you go to Amazon Lilly! Which reminds me!" The okama queen turned to Sanji and Nami. "You two go outside, I have some things to discuss with the boy."

"Like what?" Nami raised a brow.

"Lady lessons of course!" Iva replied as if were natural. "He can't simply wear women's clothes, okamas must embrace their gender completely! So I'll teach the boy the ways of the okama! Now out!"

"You heard him, Nami-swan! Let us go on a romantic walk together, or lay on the bay-front and watch the sunset-" A punch cut him off.

"Fine. We'll leave, but you do anything suspicious to that boy, I'll kill you." She glared at the boss okama and left with the swooning chef.

Seeing as they were alone now, Iva's expression and voice turned serious. "So then...Edogawa-kun, you should know that I'm one of Monkey D. Dragon's closest allies." The detective tensed at the sudden statement, obviously not expecting that. "Good to see you taking me seriously now; Dragon-san called in earlier and informed me of the whole situation. Edogawa-kun, you're not going to Amazon Lilly, you're going straight back to Dragon."

**Please review!**


	28. Hitchhiking on the Equator

**Hey guys! So in this chapter, a lot happens, so keep up! Conan escapes, but you'll have to read to find out with who, Conan finds out more about VegaPunk, he leaves Momoiro island and heads to Mihawk's place, and finally, he meets Zoro! I enjoyed writing this so much, and I loved how I did the trip to Mihawk's island! So, I'm still working on Zoro's part, and it'll be fairly complicated to write because I'm trying to describe the humandrills fight, and yes, Conan and Perona will be participating in it. You'll like it, I promise! So without further ado, here's my latest chapter, so relax, read, enjoy, and review! Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed  
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"You can't be serious." Conan backed up a little. "I still have things to do! I can't go back to the Revolutionaries! They want to start a bloodbath!"

"Don't you dare speak of my comrades, especially my leader in such a way!" Iva seethed. "We're fighting for our freedom, something that this world has never once experienced, a luxury in your world that you take for granted! Don't you dare try to understand our reasoning for this!"

"So that means you follow Sengoku-san's idea and killed everyone off?" Exclaimed the detective.

"Of course not! We'll save as many people as we can! Do you have any idea just how many of girls and comrades were taken?" Tears streamed from Iva's face, and she managed to clam herself down. "I already lost Kuma, I don't want to lost any one else."

"Wait a minute...did you say Kuma?" Conan's ears perked up.

"Yes. Bartholomew Kuma was an ally of ours before...the World Government caught him and turned him into that thing!" Iva punched the ground. "He thought by sacrificing himself, he'd be making up all of his crimes he committed as a pirate! Well it didn't, you bastard, it didn't!" He punched the wall.

"There's a whole army of Kuma's, you know that, don't you..." Conan sighed.

"Eh. I don't need anyone to tell me that Kuma's dead and gone!" He cried. "Kuma sacrificed himself to save us and make up for his cruelty as Kuma the Tyrant! Don't you dare to take this from us!"

"...Tell me about Dr. VegaPunk." The detective clenched his fists. "I need to know more about him. If Dragon-san really told you everything about my situation, then you'd understand."

"Ah. I'm perfectly aware of your acquaintanceship with Sentomaru-kun!" Iva rubbed her eyes. "But that doesn't mean you have any right to know about that traitor!"

"So Dr. VegaPunk was part of the Revolutionary army." Conan sighed, he figured that was the case, but he didn't think the doctor was that involved with them. "He was a sleeper agent?"

"No! A double-agent! What do you take us for?" The okama demanded. "He was originally our most reliable double-agent, but something happened and he switched sides! To make things worse, he turned Kuma into a Pacifista to prove his loyalty to those bastards!"

"...Sentomaru-san told me quite a bit about the research Dr. VegaPunk was doing, but...I need to know what he was originally researching while stumbling upon communication into my world." The detective explained carefully.

"VegaPunk was most interested in devil fruits, actually." Iva sniffled.

"Devil fruits?" Those things hadn't come up in awhile. "What do they have to do with this?"

"VegaPunk was most interested in how the devil fruits interacted with people's bodies, why the users lost their ability to swim once they were eaten, and just why it was that when the user dies...how does the fruit end up outside the body?" Iva explained.

"Wait a minute...the devil fruits don't get digested?" That shook the detective slightly. But then again, it made sense. If the fruits were digested, naturally the power would fade away.

"Of course not! Otherwise, we'd lose our powers!" The okama queen replied. "We don't know why, but for what ever reason, devil fruits don't leave the body until the body is dead."

"So...how did research on devil fruits turn into inter-universal communication?" Conan asked carefully.

"I don't know! I haven't spoken with that traitor in years!" Iva exclaimed. "Now then, stay in here with Sanji-kun and Nami-chan like a goo d little boy, and await Dragon-san's arrival! You've caused enough trouble!"

"In that case...could I have my clothes back? If I'm not going to Amazon Lilly, there's no point in me taking your clothes, is there?" The detective asked carefully.

"Hmm...good point! That is a fine dress afterall! Very well! You're clothes are behind that curtain over there!" Iva waved him off.

"Thanks. Also...could you turn around, I'm kind of shy." Conan looked away slightly.

"Ah! Fake child or not, you have the shouta-look going for you!" Iva did as she was told, only to have something sharp poke her, then she felt woozy. The okama turned to the detective, shakily. "Why you..." The okama queen fell over.

Conan sighed and closed his watch. "I'm sorry."

**10min Later**

"What do you mean you lost him?" Naim screeched, attempting to choke the okama queen.

"As I said, after I explained what would happen he-" Iva's air supply was cut-off.

"So you scared him off? Of that's just great! Now we have to find him, before the others show up! That kid was supposed to pay me!" Nami hadn't been this pissed about money in awhile.

"Don't worry, Nami-swan! I'll find that little ruffian and retrieve your money!" Sanji proclaimed.

"Good! You do that. We only have a day to find him before the Revolutionary ships or Whitebeard's ships show up, let's move it." Nami sighed.

"Actually..." Everyone turned to Bentham. "Edogawa-kun left this behind." The ballerina handed Nami a piece of paper, which made the navigator fall over and managed to be even more pissed off.

"What is it, my sweet? What has that brat done to you now?" Sanji asked desperately.

"He didn't do anything to me, in fact, we're square." Nami handed Sanji the paper, which actually confused the chef. It was a set of directions and well-drawn picture of a pirate ship, and at the end of the directions, it said: 'there in the supply closet, you'll find a hidden room with all the money'. Sanji looked at his beautiful crewmate in confusion, but realization dawned on him, and he frowned.

"That little shit." He sighed.

**Somewhere on Momoiro Island**

After walking through the Kamabakka kingdom successfully, he headed into the woods, and decided to head for seaport on the island; if he didn't get out of here by the time Dragon and Whitebeard showed up, he'd be badly sandwiched in. But it was hard to move around! He was still wearing that stupid dress from Ivankov, but he also had to carry a backpack along with it (he swiped it as he escaped the castle); after this experience, he'd be forever traumatized by pink. Hiding between bushed, he attempted to find any ships that weren't pink or flamboyant, and one ship caught his eye. It was a normal pirate ship design, but it was well-decorated in red waves, seemed to be made of redwood, and had a dragon's head on the bow. The pirate flag had a jolly roger with red hair, the detective quickly concluded that they weren't from this island. Taking his chance, he sped across the beach and headed toward the seaport. Seeing as how there wasn't anyone there, he quickly boarded the mysterious ship and settled down behind two barrels.

"Come now, Ben. Doesn't it sound like an adventure?" The detective heard voices, but simply hid himself further.

"Sounds like another headache you're taking on Captain, need I remind you of your scuffle with Whitebeard?" A slightly older and more mature voice replied.

"Oh come on! Think of it as a party! Lucky agrees with me, doesn't he?" The younger one argued.

"It's Lucky, if you give him meat, he'd agree to anything." The older argued.

"Well whatever, let's get ready for the party!" Conan panicked slightly, the footsteps were coming towards him! He quickly shifted himself, and manged to scurry behind some rope. "Yep! This is good rum, right here Ben!" Conan quickly looked at his possible captors. One was a man that looked to be in his early thirties, had the reddest hair he had ever seen, dressed in traditional pirate clothes, had an arm missing, and had three scars on his eye. The other was an older man, that looked to be in his late thirties or early forties, had a grey pony tail, and had scar on his face. He too was dressed in traditional pirate clothes. The two men took the barrels and walked off, giving the detective the time he needed to find a place to hide.

**Later that night**

"Welp! There's no sight of the boy, and there's no reason to stay! Let's head out men!" The red-haired captain cheered merrily.

"But what about the meeting Dragon demanded?" The older man pointed out.

"Oh! We'll catch up with him, when there's something to actually talk about!" He smiled. "For now, let's party!"

**With Conan**

The detective was shaken awake when the ship suddenly jerked and the boy felt the ship moving. He had long changed back into his brown trousers and black turtle neck he had received from the revolutionaries, relieved to be back in normal clothes. He kept the dress in the back pack in case he needed it, but was hoping for the best. Shifting out of his hiding place in the storage cabinet, he carefully hopped down to the floor and looked out a window. He sighed, the ship had hit some rough weather, so the ship had become rocky. Which was fine with him, that meant the ship was sturdy, and it could hold up until wherever he was going. Suddenly, he heard voices and jumped back in the cabinet.

"It's too bad about the weather, eh Yassop? Now we have to move the party below deck." Groaned the familiar voice. "There's nothing like getting drunk on rum and the open ocean air!"

"If only it was the ocean air that kept you upright, captain." Laughed a new voice called Yassop. Crap! They were getting closer! "Welp! I'll get the rum! You get the chips!"

"Okay then! I bought Ben his favorite! Afte rall, he" The red-haired captain opened the cabinet, and grabbed the chips. He then SHUT the cabinet and turned back to his marksman. "Oh! Wrong flavor! I'll look again!" He opened the cabinet and came face to face with our favorite kid detective.

"Captain Shanks? What's…wrong?" Yassop's voice died in his throat when he saw the little boy hiding in the snack cabinet. "Uh oh."

Silence, nothing but silence between Conan Edogawa and Red-Haired Shanks. They stared at each other in shock and surprise, the boy was terrified that he was going to be thrown off the ship, while the red-haired pirate was more worried about his snack inventory. Feeling around for something, Conan struck success when he found dried chili peppers. "Uh…pirate-san….think fast!"

"GAH!" Dried seeds from the chili peppers flew from the pepper and into their faces, making the opening the detective needed. He ran from the cabinet and down the hallway, passing a few crew-members along the way. In the midst of the chaos, he had successfully passed fifty pirates, all of whom were chasing him. Finally reaching the upper deck, his hid behind some barrels to catch his breath. "HAH!" The red-haired man reached down and plucked the boy. "Got yah, you little-" A sudden electric shock, sent him to the ground and Conan had once again.

However, his luck ran out, when darted around the corner and strong hand picked him up. The man was msart enough to keep Conan's front facing away from him, and made sure his belt was at an angle where he arms and hands couldn't access any of the functions. "Calm down kid, I ain't gonna hurt yah."

"Good to know." The boy groaned. "Now let me down please."

"Eh heh...no." The older man, which Conan recognized as that Ben person that red-haired guy was talking to, had then started carrying him forward.

**1hr Later**

The detective had less humiliating moments in his life, that's for sure. He was tied at the base of the ship's mast, and had drawings all over his face. His new tazer was certainly powerful, he only used two volts and the guy was knocked out! The bad news was, they took his belt away.

"Gahh…what happened?" The red-haired man blinked and rubbed his head. He looked at his surroundings and got mighty confused; a worried crew, no rum, and a kid tied to his mast. But after looking at the boy's face, flashbacks of recent occurrences occurred and he was pissed. "You!" He stomped up to the boy in an angry manner. "Just what do you think you're doing? Sneaking onto people's ships, and attacking them! You seriously could've burned my eye out, kid!"

"Yeah, well you surprised me! Didn't anyone tell you not to go surprising people hiding in cabinets?" Conan yelled.

"Oh yes, that reminds me: what the hell were you hiding in there for anyways? Why'd you stow away on my ship?" He demanded.

"Er…emergency travel plans!" The detective replied. "Of which, I'm not required to tell you!"

"Really? So if I threatened to keel-haul you, you wouldn't talk?" Shanks rose a brow.

"Er…probably not." The detective gulped.

After a minute, the red-haired pirate sighed and spoke. "Well, I guess what' done is done, all we can do is head for the nearest island and drop you off. How does that sound, lad?"

"Sounds good, thanks." Conan nodded.

"Great! My name is Shanks, they call me Red-Haired Shanks out here in the Grand Line." He smiled.

'He's one of the Yonko.' Conan remembered his research; Whitebeard and Shanks were two, the others were a guy named Kaido and a woman he couldn't quite recall. "My name's Conan Edogawa, and I'm sorry I stowed away on your ship. I'm on the run from some people, and your ship was my fastest escape off the island."

"Really? Who were you on the run from, kid?" The captain asked.

"The World Government." Was Conan's automatic response.

"The World Government? Hmm…that's odd." The pirate captain put on a very neutral smile. "You see…Emporio Ivankov, is one of Dragon-san's closest allies, or did you forget in your panic? Kudo-kun?"

The detective stiffened. 'Crap! I forgot that Ivankov-san was a revolutionary! OF course World Government officials wouldn't be on his island!' Thinking quickly, Conan responded. "What exactly did Dragon-san tell you?"

"That you want to run back to your home universe, and that you refused to help stop the World Government from taking this world as well as your own." Shanks smiled.

"That's what he's been telling people?" Conan's eye twitched in annoyance. "So he hasn't told you what he plans to do then?"

"I'm not apart of the Revolutionary Army myself, but I can't say that I don't support what they're doing." Shanks took a swing of rum. "I'm not out to change the world, but I will step into action if freedom is threatened in general. Do you not feel the same way?"

"Shanks-san, you strike me as someone who doesn't like unnecessary work and bloodshed." He waited until the whole crew was listening. "I think you'll feel differently about Dragon-san's plans when I tell you, what he told me."

"What makes you say that?" The older man called Ben, stepped forward. "I'm Benn Beckman, first-mate of the Red-Haired crew."

"Dragon-san plans to initiate the revolution himself."

**2hrs Later**

After telling his version of the story, the Red-Haired pirates looked slightly abashed and troubled at the news. After awhile, the captain spoke. "I figured that was what Dragon was up to, I was just hoping that wasn't the case."

"So what you plan to do now?" Conan asked carefully.

"Depends…why do you want to go to Amazon Lilly, again?" The captain asked.

"…Awhile ago I ran into crew-members of The Strawhat Pirates, and…Rob Lucci-san helped us escape. In exchange for helping us escape, he told me to find someone on Amazon Lilly." The detective explained hesitantly.

"Did you say Strawhat crew?" Yassop ran up to him and grabbed the boy by the shirt collar. "Are they all right? Have you seen a boy named Ussop?"

"Yassop!" Ben made him put the boy down.

"Tell me!" The marksman relinquished his hold, but that didn't stop his persistence.

"Yes, I did." Conan replied. "He was fine; according to Sanji-san, I've met every single person in the Strawhat crew so far, except for their captain and a guy with green hair."

"Were you all rescued by Lucci?" Shanks asked.

"No. Franky-san, Sentomaru-san, and I were captured by Blackbeard-san." He didn't missed the surprised look of the captain. "We were tortured, and I couldn't save Franky-san and Sentomaru-san by myself."

"Why was Sentomaru with you?" Shanks asked.

"He was there at Karakuri. He was the apprentice of Dr. VegaPunk." The detective explained.

"We know, he's a worker for the World Government, so we're surprised he's with the revolutionaries right now, let alone consorting with pirates." Ben replied. "So…what's our move captain? Do we help Dragon or not?"

"…Kid…" He turned back to Conan. "If I were to tell you I knew were Dr. VegaPunk was, would that be helpful to you?"

"Absolutely." Conan nodded.

"If I were to tell you, I'd be willing to follow your lead, would it be helpful?" He asked.

"Optimal." Conan didn't blink.

"If you were to find a peaceful solution to this, in place of a revolution, would you face Dragon or whoever you had to, to enforce it?" Shanks looked at him.

"Without question." The boy replied.

Smiling, the red haired man turned to his men. "Alright men, here's what we'll do! We follow Edogawa's lead, and follow his instructions! In exchange for finding a peaceful resolution, we help him in the process!"

"YAAH!" They cheered, and Conan was let down.

He walked up to Shanks and bowed deeply. "Thank you."

"Okay lad! Now tell me about your grand tour of our fine ocean!" Shanks laughed merrily and handed Conan some ginger-ale. Drinking it, Conan smiled nervously; the irony couldn't have been more painful, and he was sure that if by some tragedy, Kid Kaito and Lupin would find out, they'd never let him live this down.

**3 Days Later**

"Oi wake up! We're here!" Conan was shaken awake by Lucky, whom he had been rooming with since he arrived. He was a great roommate. Quickly following the large man, he went out to the deck and saw a spooky-looking island.

"Uh…what island is that?" Conan asked

"That's Kuraigana Island, and it's where a friend of mine lives." Shanks smiled.

"I thought we were going to Amazon Lilly?" Conan frowned.

"So you don't want to meet VegaPunk?" He laughed.

"Dr. VegaPunk-san lives on that island?" Conan's eyes widened.

"Sure is." He laughed. "My friend knows him, and he and I often bring him supplies, rum, and other things a man needs to survive. So how about it kid, you wanna stop here?"

"Yes sir!" The detective smiled. He was so enthralled at his lead, that he didn't notice the evil look that Shanks and his crew was giving him.

Ben frowned when he noticed something. "Hey kid…you look kind of pale. You okay?"

"Really?" Conan looked at his skin and frowned, he was rather pasty. It was strange considering how much exposure to the sun he was getting.

**2hrs Later**

After arriving on the island, Conan actually felt himself, in all the years he had been a detective prodigy, creeped out. Unlike the pink Momoiro island, this island was almost pitch black, had castle ruins everywhere, and the sky was a bleak black and purple. The dead trees and bushes didn't help the scenery, either. "All right men, we all know how Mihawk hates intruders and people breaking into his castle, so we split up and find the biggest thing we can to throw at his window!"

"What? Shanks-san, wait!" Poor boy never had a chance.

"GO!" Within a second, the pirate crew disappeared, leaving Conan alone.

"Uh…guys…hello?" Owls hooted and a comical whirl-weed went by him. Carefully, he looked around himself, to see if any of the pirates had stayed; apparently not. Deciding that nothing would be accomplished if he stayed here, he walked forward into the castle ruins.

**With Shanks**

"Captain, you sure he'll be all right?" Benn asked, as he watched the boy wander deeper into the castle ruins.

"Yep! Anchor's first mate is around here, right Mihawk?" He turned to his Spanish friend, who looked at the boy with slight interest.

"Yes…they should be running into each other, now." Mihawk replied, sipping his wine. He groaned when he heard some of his valuables break at the crew's expense.

**With Conan**

After wandering a little further, Conan soon realized he was being watched. Looking around himself, he armed his belt, ready to fight. His instincts were right when he heard a deep growl from a short distance away. Looking ahead of himself, he saw a mandrill-humanoid dressed in an armored breast-plate and was carrying an axe. After getting his tazer ready, Conan glared and steadied himself for the upcoming charge. But just as the baboon rushed forward, the boy was suddenly jerked back and lifted into a strong grip. He was then thrown into the grip of a pink-haired woman, with an odd face shape, and looked like favorite store was Hot Topic.

"Be careful, idiot!" The pink haired girl yelled.

"Urusai, woman." Conan looked at the man in front of him, and was sure he found another member of the Strawhat crew. His green hair was very short, very broad built, and was carrying three swords. He fought the baboon off with a couple swings and turned back to the boy. "Oi…boy. Who are you?"

"C-Conan Edogawa. Who are you?" Conan asked.

"Hey! Don't forget me!" The pink haired girl exclaimed. "I'm Perona! Don't forget it, shrimp!"

"Urusai, woman." His stern face turned to the boy again. "What are you doing here?"

"Before I answer that…who are you?" Conan asked again.

"Rorona Zoro." He replied. "Now answer my question, what are you doing here?"

**Review Please! If you guys have any questions or theories you want to pitch, go ahead! I actually like discussing ideas with people, it's inspiring!**


	29. Through the Woods

**Hey guys! Here's the part everyone's been looking forward to- Zoro! Now, I kept saying this was a complicated fight scene, but it turned complicated for a different reason than I anticipated, while I was writing. So Vegapunk finally appears, and I'm still editing Dr. VegaPunk's conversation with Conan, which is the next chapter, but there are several things I need to say. First of all, everything I have down about VegaPunk is pure theory, he hasn't actually shown up in the anime or manga, so I guessed completely on his appearance and personality. I did what suited my story best, and if you don't like it, feel free to complain. So, without further ado, here's the next chapter of my crossover! Please read, enjoy, and review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed**

"Er…I came here with a pirate crew who knows the owner of this island. Then they ditched me out here, and I ran into those things, and you guys saved me. What were those things anyways?" Conan pointed to the strange animals.

"Those things are humandrill, their so intelligent that they can imitate humans without a problem." Perona whimpered. "So intelligent, that they can wield a weapon."

'Yet another weird creature to add to the ones I've already seen.' The detective inwardly sighed. "So, what are you guys doing out here?"

"This idiot's trying to prove himself to that Mihawk-bastard so that he can learn swordsmanship from him!" The gothic girl exclaimed.

"Mihawk?" Conan repeated.

"Eh. Dracule Mihawk, he's the master of this island, that your friends claim to know." Zoro explained. "He's the world's greatest swordsman, and I intend to surpass him one day."

"Well…those pirates aren't really my friends, they brought me here out of pity." The detective admitted sheepishly. "So…what are you guys doing out here?"

"Mihawk had said that if I make it through the forest of this island, then I become his apprentice." Zoro explained.

"Uh…80% of this island is forest. Are you sure he just didn't mean for you to reach a certain point to show that you're serious?" The detective pointed out.

"He did! This idiot just wouldn't listen!" Perona complained. "Anyways, we're supposed to go to the cathedral of this island, which apparently is about two miles that way." She pointed to the woods behind Conan. "It's the prime of the humandrills' territory, and apparently they're guarding something big."

"Really?" The young detective wasn't sure if he wanted to be caught up in this. "I'll just get out of your way then."

"Once these things have decided on prey, they won't let you go." Zoro eyed him sadly. "I'm afraid you're stuck with us, at least for now."

"I don't think I'll be any use to you, though." Conan tried to reason.

"Doesn't matter, I already accepted the challenge from Mihawk, and going back for any reason is considered throwing in the towel. You're with us until this whole thing is over." Zoro replied and walked ahead of Conan. "Let's go, we're wasting time."

"B-but, it's dark! They outnumber us! Roronora-san!" Conan shouted after him. "Do you even have a destination point?"

"Ah. As she said, the cathedral; we're supposed to retrieve a rosary from there." The swordsman replied. "Now, you idiots keep up, otherwise the humandrills will get you. They've imitated the army that they had wiped out before Mihawk got here, and the strongest one, even has a replica of Mihawk's sword."

"Why didn't I stay at the castle?" Perona whined.

"Enough wasting time, let's go." Hesitantly, Conan and Perona followed; wandering into the darkness.

**3hrs Later**

After wandering through the woods mindlessly, Conan concluded that he had officially met person with the worst sense of direction. They had double back around the woods twice, even winding back at the ruins. Conan had thought it was strange that they came from the beach, and had already been past through the area, but it soon became obvious why. Zoro couldn't keep track of where he was going, and Perona was too scared to leave his side; so they had gone in two complete circles with an approximate two mile radius. The detective had no idea where this supposed 'cathedral' was, but he had to find it. He knew Shanks had set them up, so he was certain VegaPunk was in the church. It was poetically ironic, an evolutionist scientist in the church of God.

The detective was relatively atheist with hint of agnostic; he had to keep his indifference to religion for the sake of his analysis. Speaking of analysis, Conan was currently trying to wrap his head around the situation he was in. He went from being lead around by Shanks and his crew, to an accomplice of an invasion. Those monkey-like creatures didn't look particular friendly or weak, and even with his upgraded utility belt, he wasn't sure how much it would defend him. The swordsman didn't seem too bright, the gothic girl seemed useless, and it was obvious that neither of the two of them trusted him. Not that the detective blamed him, his appearance couldn't have been timed worse for the swordsman. Ironically, he found himself to be the group's navigator, making himself useful to the warrior. Speaking of which, he wondered what position the man had in the Strawhat crew- enforcer? Look out? Bodyguard? Deciding to strike up a conversation, he spoke.

"So, Roronora-san…how come you're on this island?" They hadn't spoken a word in the past three hours.

"I was sent here flying by some bastard." He gruffed.

"Ah. You don't say, sorry to hear that." Conan sweatdropped. 'He's a lot less open than the other Strawhats.

"So…are you a bounty hunter, or…?"

"Why is is it your business to know if I'm a bounty hunter or not?" He turned back to the boy with a glare.

"Oh honestly! He's the first-mate of the Strawhat crew!" Perona exclaimed.

'Called it.' Conan thought.

"Quiet woman!" He snapped at her and looked back to Conan. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because…I'm doing a report for school!" The detective couldn't believe he came up with such a lame lie. "You see…I'm supposed to record everyone I might on an independent expedition of self-discovery, including names and occupations of said people!"

"Ah really?" Zoro's eyes widened. "Geez, the things teachers do to their students sometime…sorry I doubted you."

'He actually bought that?' Perona and Conan were hanging their mouths open in shock.

"No way! You're buying this? Are you completely stupid?" The ghost girl exclaimed.

"I'm not being stupid, what other reason would he have to be here? He's just a little kid." Zoro replied. "Keep close, I sense some of them up ahead. Kid, we going the right way?"

"Uh…" Conan looked at his watch, which also functioned as compass. "If the directions Mihawk-san gave you are correct, then the humandrill's territory should only be about 500ft ahead."

"Okay, listen up." The swordsman turned to his weaker companions. "According to that Mihawk, these things a strong as they are smart; they took out the previous humans who lived on this island and took it upon themselves to copy the ranking system in their army."

"Wait, these things are actually imitating humans?" Conan exclaimed. In his world, he had never come across this type of intelligence in animals.

"Ah. Not just that, but they also took the army's weapons and tactics too. The only person to defeat them is Mihawk, and soon to be me as well." Zoro drew one of his swords. "Perona, use your powers to watch over the boy, I don't want either of you getting in my way."

"Why, I never!" She huffed.

"You actually plan to take on a whole army on your own, Roronora-san?" The boy asked.

"Ah. The Strawhats have taken on worse, ask those Enies Lobby bastards." He smirked, not noticing Conan's wide eyes of surprise.

"But still! Do you even have a strategy for fighting these things?" Conan tried to reason with the man.

"Sure, cut them all down, until none of them are left standing." He smirked and drew his other sword. Peron and Conan followed closely behind him.

"Roronora-san! Think about this! You can't just blindly charge into an army, like that!" He argued.

"Maybe, you two can't, but I can." To the detective's astonishment, Zoro drew his last sword into his mouth. Never, in his cases, had he seen this. Even with Makoto's matches, he had never seen it. He gulped, realizing that he hadn't actually seen any of the famous Strawhat pirates fight until now. And if he was strong enough to take on a full army by himself, then just how strong was their captain?

Conan's thoughts were cut-off when Zoro abruptly stopped in front of him, causing the boy to bump into him. "Stay sharp, we're here." The detective blinked and went around to Zoro's left side, only to be kicked aside harshly by the man.

"Hey, what was that-" Conan was cut off by the sight of an axe occupying the space he had been in merely seconds ago. He stood up, and looked ahead and his eyes practically bugged out of his head. In front of him, was a large clearing of grass about a mile long, with trees and shrubs around the sides of it, giving it a natural lawn. But down the grassy lawn, was a large, stone, cathedral that looked to be about thousand years old, it had several stained glass windows, and was about half the size of Buckingham palace with the same medieval architecture. But on the grassy plain and all in front of the cathedral, was the promised army of humandrills, carrying the same kind of armor and weapons he had encountered earlier. Narrowing his eyes, the detective immediately knew, that was where Dr. VegaPunk was; he had to get in there. Looking at the humandrills, things suddenly made sense, no one could find Dr. VegaPunk because they were all vanquished in the search, or people simply wouldn't think to look here. Either way, Shanks and this Mihawk-san set things up to where the scientist would be both safe, as well as prosperous, at least he hoped for the second one.

"Kid, stay back and hide with Perona. Under no circumstances, enter this battle. My captain would never forgive me, if I allowed a kid to get hurt in a fight." Zoro positioned himself, and prepared to attack. "Perona!"

"Hai!" She quickly grabbed the boy, and levitated a safe distance into the air.

"Hey!" Conan struggled to get out of her grip. He looked down at the man in panic. "Roronora-san!"

"Call me Zoro, I don't like how my last name sounds." He snorted. "Just sit tight, this won't take long." As soon as he said that, he charged forward.

"ZORO-SAN!" Conan exclaimed. The detective had never once seen active combat, sneaking out of places, being people's hostage, and outsmarting armies were completely different. He had never once seen this kind of fight before, and he couldn't say he particularly cared for it. It was terrifying!

In a few short blurs, Zoro had successfully taken out the first wave of them. The swordsman's movements were so fast, that Conan honestly couldn't keep up. He briefly wondered if Makoto could keep up with these kind of movements. "He's incredible."

"Duh! He's the first mate of the Strawhat crew, of course he's powerful! This crew's famous for taking out armies, warlords, and forces of nature! They took on Enies Lobby, the World Government, the Tenryuubito, Oars Sr., Gecko Moria, the list goes on! These guys are serious business!" Perona quacked.

"I'm just going to assume those are very nasty people to fight." Conan had no idea who she was talking about at this point, there were too many characters to memorize. But his breath was shaken, when it looked like Zoro took out one of the commanders. "Still though, if the first mate is this strong...just how strong is their captain?"

"Oh! Luffy-san's way stronger than this! He did defeat master Moria on his own, after all." Perona answered.

"So it wasn't a joke when Magallen-san said that Luffy took on Impel Down on his own." Conan muttered, almost wincing at the narrow escape Zoro made from a battling ram.

"Nope. Strawhat Luffy's the most well-known rookie pirate in the world, only second in bounty to Eustis Kid." She informed him.

"You don't say." Conan remembered the bounties of the Supernovas back at Marineford. "So Luffy-san's a scary person, huh?"

"Hm...depends on what you mean by scary." Perona shrugged.

"Uh..." Conan was about to answer, when, "ZORO-SAN!" The swordsman was thrown back by a gorilla of the primate army, and it had a battle axe, bigger than his hand. Jumping out of the girl's arms quickly, Conan readied his taser. "Zoro-san!" He cranked it up to full power, and shot the electricity out. Sentomarou did an awesome job with his gadget upgrades, an entire lighting bolt shot from his watch and hit the gorilla straight on. The detective stopped in his tracks, stunned at what he just witnessed.

Suddenly, the army of humandrills' attention was suddenly on the boy, giving the swordsman a chance to breathe. Very slowly, Conan went to his belt, and got out his soccer ball. If his taser shot lightning, let's see what a projectile would do. About three humandrills came at him, and he took his chance to shoot the balll. Conan knew the ball would hit the gross primates, what he didn't realize was that it would aim for all of the monkeys coming up against him as well. In a matter of ten seconds, twenty human drills lay unconscious, while soccer ball rested at the detective's foot.

"Whoah..." Perona landed beside Conan. "Er- I mean! Hey! You're supposed to stay with me!"

"Sorry-"

"GRAH!" A giant mandrill-humanoid jumped up behind them with a katana, but it was kicked away, the second it appeared. Zoro quickly grabbed the both of them and charged towards the cathedral.

"Zoro-san! What are you planning to do?" Conan demanded.

"Simple. Since you're not as useless as you look, you and this woman are going into that building to get that thing Mihawk wanted." The swordsman dodged giant hands and axes from the primates.

"But what about you?" Conan demanded.

"I'll be fine, just stick together and get out as fast as possible." He replied.

"Oi! I don't want to work with him!" Perona complained.

"Too bad." The marimo grunted.

"But-" Conan never got to finish his sentence, as he and Perona were thrown into the Cathedral, shattering the stained glass in the process.

Landing on the ground, Zoro turned to the rest of the humandrills coming up to him from the forest, determined to protect whatever was in there. "Tch. Damn bastards." Zoro charged forward, ready to get his revenge on these primate-bastards. Damn them from keeping him from his crew.

**With Conan**

The detective groaned and got up from the floor, he looked up to see the shattered window he fell through. He looked around himself, and found that he was in a chapel or worshiping room of some kind. It was dark, had traditional church aisles, and a traditional catholic alter. Frowning, he called out. "Perona-san?" No answer, Zoro must've unintentionally thrown them into different areas of the church. Shrugging, the detective decided that this oppurtune moment was the best time to find VegaPunk. Perona had the power to control ghosts, she'd be fine. Really, out of all the devil fruits Conan had seen so far, hers was definitely the most useless.

Sighing, he left the alter and walked down one of the various passageways in the building. This was honestly the creepiest gothic church he had ever been in. The church was as black as 'The Exorcist', there were dead roses everywhere, and he was sure the place hadn't been cleaned in ages. Really, all it it needed was Dracula's coffin and Van Helsing would come in and have sex with a random girl. 'God! I miss home!' He hated Van Helsing movies, yet he was referencing one; that just showed how homesick he was. Frowning, Conan tried to think, if he was VegaPunk, where would he hide in this old place. With all the security and isolation this island provided, he couldn't imagine why the scientist would need to hide, but then again...he had just learned that truly anything was possible.

Noticing a library was coming up, Conan decided to try his luck there. Walking into the place, it reminded him a darker version of the Mariejois library. Deciding that it couldn't hurt to find a light-switch, Conan felt around for one, but was shocked to not only find one, but it also worked. The light went on, which meant this place most likely had running water and indoor plumbing. "That means someone actually is using this place." The boy quickly glanced at the bookshelf, and his eyes bugged out of his head! They were all books on the Void Century and other related to topics. One book in particular caught Conan's eye, and quickly took it out of the shelf. He checked the copyright date, and noted that it was last updated this year, meaning that VegaPunk was more than aware of what was going on with the world. The title of the book: The World's rulers and servants, was a collection of documents and records of people who not only ruled over the Void Century, but also had detailed notes regarding it.

Conan took out the pictures he stole from the Tenryuubito's lockbox and compared them with the pictures in the book. His eyes widened, five of the men in the first picture he stole, matched the Gorosei's pictures in this book, and according to this picture and the book, this was 800 years ago, and there were originally twenty men, not five. What happened to the other fifteen? If what Conan was theorizing was true, how was this possible? Did that mean they achieved immortality? How had they succeeded? Frowning, Conan compared the second picture in his hand, which featured the very lovely couple from Kong's office. After turning to the royalty section, Conan smirked in satisfaction. "Bingo." The picture in the book was an exact copy of the picture in his hand, the last king and queen of the Void Century. The detective quickly tore out the pages of the information, and placed the book in his backpack.

"It's not nice to steal, yah know." That was the last thing Conan heard, before a sharp pain struck his head, knocking him out.

**With Perona**

"Oh...where is that brat? That swordsman's going to kill me for losing him!" The gothic girl whined. "I even got the stupid mark too!" This mark, was nothing more than Mihawk's sword-cross necklace that he was seen wearing. Apparently, it had accidentally fallen off him sometime ago, due to a broken string, and it was picked up by the humandrills, and then VegaPunk. To prove themselves, they had to retrieve a pocket knife! A pocket knife! Perona was so pissed! And now, she was stuck in this creepy place, looking for that brat. Suddenly, the sound of a closing door got her attention. "Oh screw this!" She summoned a persona. "Go find him!" She ordered it!

The ghost sauntered off, looking for the source of positive energy.

**With Conan**

The boy struggled to open his eyes, and inwardly cursed at the pain in his head. He rubbed it, only to find that it had been bandaged, he looked down to see his belt was on him, but it had been taken off. His backpack lay on a wooden chair beside the bed. He looked around himself, to find that he was in a very simple bedroom. It had a dresser, a lamp, a bathroom, and a bed, but that was about it. Conan carefully got out of bed, and went to open the door, which was unlocked surprisingly. The detective walked into the most advanced technological laboratory he had ever seen, even Agasa didn't have this many computers and electronics. He frowned and looked around for the jerk who captured him.

"Anyone ever tell you, it's rude to steal, Kudo-kun?" Conan jumped at an unfamiliar voice, spinning to his left. There was a large man with a purple mohawk and labcoat sitting at a desk, his back turned to him. He wasn't looking at the detective, but Conan could easily feel the animosity.

"Anyone tell you that desperate times, call for desperate measures." Conan retorted. "Who are you? What is this place?"

"You've been looking for me, for awhile, I'm sure you know who I am." The man turned around, allowing Conan to see him fully. The lab coat covered a black leather, biker outfit, he was very muscular, had tan skin, roundish eyes and body, and had dark sunglasses. To complete the look, he had full-on combat boots, an inch off the ground. He looked at the detective expectantly. "Well?"

Conan sucked in a breath. "Sentomaru-san said that you were the one who first established communication in my world, but due to conflict of interest, you went hiding from the World Government and ended up here. Ivankov-san said you were a traitor, capable of the worst kinds of deeds. I hope you'll be honest with me, regardless of what kind of person you are."

"A good answer, it's nice to meet you, Kudo-kun." The man nodded.

"Good to meet you too, Dr. VegaPunk."

**Review Please! If you have any questions or theories or ideas you want to discuss with me, feel free to send me a message. It's fun answering people's questions about this story!**


	30. Grandmother's House we Go

**Hey guys! So here's the VegaPunk confrontation people have been looking forward to! So in this chapter, pretty much everything other than a few details about the plot are explained! And if you get confused, please feel free to ask; like every Case Closed plot, it simply gets more complicated as time goes on. So, I'm updating early because my grandpa is at the hospital, so I won't be able to this weekend! So writing and reviews take my mind off my troubles, so bring on the love or hate, depending on how you feel about this chapter! My apologies if Conan seems OOCish, but again, fit with the story. Also, one reviewer told me a while back that a theory about One Piece was that it's set in the future- I used that here! Once again, everything about Dr. VegaPunk is purely theoretical, the anime and manga have given almost no information about him! So read, enjoy, review! Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed**

The air was so tense, that Conan could hardly breathe; the scientist stared him down like hawk, and he wasn't planning on stopping anytime soon. Clenching his fists, Conan stalked up to the scientist until he was about two feet from him. Without a word, he got out his soccer ball, and in the next second, took aim at VegaPunk's head.

The scientist didn't bother to dodge the ball, the impact was as great as it looked, knocking the large man to the ground. And the next thing the scientist knew, his face was being pummeled by tiny, enraged fists. He inwardly sighed and allowed the detective to do what he needed to do, it was his damned research that put him here to begin with. After five minutes of punching, they ceased but Conan's breathing became harsh and heavy, and without warning, he started to cough and heave badly. The boy quickly got off the man and quickly hid behind some random machine, confirming VegaPunk's fear by vomiting; the child's condition was progressively getting worse. With a heavy sigh, the man spoke. "You haven't eaten anything that heavy, yet you're vomiting blood, correct?" Conan's form stiffened from the observation, confirming VegaPunk's suspicion. "Come sit over here, I have some pills that will help."

Knowing he didn't have a choice, Conan did as he was asked and sat down on what appeared to be an examination table. His nose crinkled, he had thrown up on his shirt and it stunk badly; as if reading his mind, a small shirt was tossed to him as well. "…You have terrible taste in furniture; that bedroom so plain, that it's obvious your hiding something." Conan complained as he changed shirts.

"Be that as it may, it's still home to me; I'm sure you're missing yours, by the way." The man replied, handing him the pills he promised. "These will help sustain your body, but just temporarily. They're like steroids, if you take too many of them, your body will break down and you'll have worse rage, than those damned primates out there."

"How many pills is my limit?" Conan asked.

"I've only given you five, take only three; use the other two only if you are about to die; is that clear?" VegaPunk replied.

"Crystal." Conan muttered, swallowing one. "VegaPunk-san, what's happening to me? Why is my body becoming weaker all of the sudden? My stomach can't keep anything down and I've become as pale as Perona-san's ghosts. So be blunt, what's going on?"

"Your condition isn't sudden, you were on a time limit to begin with." He answered; he was impressed the boy kept a firm face on him. "You're body's essentially slowly desinigrating, starting with your organs and will end with your skin; it simply took awhile for you to finally notice it. When I first started teleporting living beings, like mice and rabbits, they did indeed survive, and I thought I finally had a breakthrough; but after a week, their bodies slowly started to deteriorate, with the same symptoms you have, and by two weeks, they had turned into corpses. Their stomachs starved themselves, their skin froze over, and they eventually succumbed to this universe's pressure."

"So basically…what you're saying is I'm dying." Conan sighed. "If what you say is true, how am I still alive? I haven't really been keeping time, but I know it's been more than two weeks."

"That's because humans are much more biologically complex than mere rodents, it's only natural that you last longer." VegaPunk replied.

"Why? I breathe air just like you, why can't I-?" Conan was cut-off.

"It's because you're gold fish in an ocean, and goldfish need freshwater, not salt water to survive. Get it?" The doctor replied.

"Makes sense." Conan sighed, he had a feeling another shit storm had descended upon him since his sea sickness with Nami. "Why'd you hit me on the head?"

"To capture you, of course." VegaPunk shrugged.

"You got to be kidding." The little detective scoffed. "I was the one after you, what's the point of this- to beat me to the punch?"

"No, more like to detain you until Vice-Admiral Tsuru gets here." Conan's eyes widened to the point of dinner plates. "I know what you're thinking: does Sentomaru-san know this? Tsuru was planning this all along? Who's side am I actually on? And finally, what the hell does all this mean? Well Kudo-kun, I'll be happy to answer these questions and more; for you obviously do deserve them."

"More like you owe it to me." Conan glared.

"Fair enough." VegaPunk took out a cigarette and started smoke, much to the detective's chagrin. "I'll start by answering the simple questions: other than Tsuru, Mihawk, and Red-Haired Shanks, only Vice-Admiral Garp knows I'm alive, not even the Gorosei or Sengoku know; the other admirals simply can't be trusted. To be blunt, Tsuru was indeed planning this the whole time, in fact she recruited Mihawk and Red-Haired for this very conundrum you're in; she an old woman, but she's as crafty as a cobra. The truth of the matter is, while the Black Organization and the World Government were the ones who brought you here, but Tsuru was the one who proposed that you come to Marineford. It wasn't a coincidence that she brought you to your cell, nor was it a coincidence that your received those two petty officers as your attendants."

"Tsuru-san needed people she could trust not kill me." Conan deducted. "But I don't understand, what does this all mean then? Has this whole thing simply been a hoax?"

"No, not exactly." The scientist puffed. "While it's true that a revolution is indeed going to come about from this, what you don't realize is, there's more than one." The scientist paused and allowed the detective to process what he said.

Then, Conan's eyes widened in realization. "You don't mean…"

"Yes, Tsuru was planning her own revolution from the start; you were simply her moment of opportunity." VegaPunk looked the boy in the eye.

**Elsewhere**

"It's strange that I didn't see him at Saboady, isn't it Jinbe-san?" An old man with a long, white pony tail asked the fishman shichibukai.

"Considering that he was so hasty in his escape, it's not all that surprising, is it?" He shrugged. "Why are we heading to Kuraigana island, anyways?"

"Just a feeling, that we're needed; afterall, the little detective has yet to meet Luffy-kun." He smiled.

"If you say so." Jinbe sighed.

**Back with Conan**

"What do you mean moment of opportunity? Are you saying that Tsuru-san was planning this the second that deal was made to send me here?" Conan demanded with clenched fists. "What the hell is this?"

"Tch, to think you're known as the 'Deduction King Kudo' in your world." The scientist scoffed. "Here's the simplified version: a huge war between the Navy and Pirates was long since coming, and originally Portgas D. Ace was going to be used to instigate it. The planned result of the war was simple: Whitbeard died, Portgas D. Ace would die, and a majority of the powerful pirates in the world would be wiped out, leaving the whole world to take for the World Government. Try to understand, the Revolutionary Army is organized, but as you can tell, they're not that strong in their forces yet; so they wouldn't be mature enough to take on the Navy and World Government without the pirates' help. So, in short, eliminating the pirates was the first step in the process."

"I don't get it, where do I come in-" Conan cut himself off when he remembered Dragon's conversation with him. "I get it, the World Government and Navy were going to allow the Black Organization to enter this world without fear of retaliation, because there would no longer be pirates strong enough to fight against the more advanced technology. So the attempted Marineford War was merely to clear a path for them."

"Exactly." VegaPunk nodded. "However, it was derailed the second you busted Portgas D. Ace out of Marineford; you should be proud of yourself, you saved a bunch of good men that would've died trying to save him. Anyways, as you suspected, Tsuru carefully made sure that you were able to save Fire-fist, as well as having reliable transportation of escape; the old hag's plans wouldn't have allowed the execution to happen either way."

"Why? How does this benefit Tsuru-san?" Conan asked confused.

"Honestly, she really didn't care what happened to Fire-fist, the young man's safety was merely Garp's price." He took another drag. "In exchange for his help, Garp-san demanded that Tsuru-san come up with an alternative revolution that not only saved Ace, but stopped the Black Organization from stepping foot here. In other news, her entire strategy completely rested with you, and you have yet to let her down so far. Honestly, Garp-san doesn't care for pirates; but all of his sons are outlaws, and he doesn't want to lose them, especially to a bunch of damned invaders."

"I still don't get it." The detective could say that he was honestly confused.

"Basically, the World Government demanded a revolution, so by using you, she gave them one. Don't you remember why they originally agreed to bring you here?" The man asked.

"One Piece!" Conan exclaimed. "You're saying that Tsuru-san and Garp-san simply used the excuse of One Piece to make the World Government panic over me! Wait…if that's the case, does One Piece even exist?"

"Oh, it's real all right, it just simply doesn't apply anymore. With you dead, the World Government's thirst for blood will be satisfied, the world will back into balance, and contact with the Black Organization will be over. Tsuru's already been planting evidence to show their deceit towards her superiors, now the only piece that remains on the board is you. I'm sorry to say, that by choosing to go against Tsuru, you sealed your own fate. She wasn't kidding when she originally made the deal with you: do or die. She did indeed, mean that." He puffed again and noted Conan got his taser ready. "Don't bother fighting at this point, even if you don't get captured here, your body will eventually devolve into nothing. Tsuru has told everyone at Marineford that you not only found One Piece, but are planning to claim the title 'King of the Pirates' below Mariejois; the 'Void Ruins'. At least spare yourself a painful death."

"What about you? What's your role in this? What about Shanks-san and Mihawk-san?" Conan asked in a low voice. "What of Donflamingo-san?"

"Ah, Donquixote is indeed a right old bastard. He honestly simply found out everything after you asked for Nico Olivia's files, all it took was some digging from Tsuru and Kong's offices and he found out everything about the two conspiring revolutions. You have the explicit one, where the Revolutionaries and Pirates have combined forces to take down the Navy and World Government permanently, and then the implicit one, where several people collaborated for a peaceful solution. Or as peaceful as it can get, at this point." VegaPunk sighed. "Donquixote is simply doing this for sheer amusement, he doesn't care one way or another who wins, so long as it's interesting. As for Shanks, he and Mihawk honestly believe you can defeat both plots somehow; which is rare for Mihawk, sense he never puts stock in anyone, really. They were let in on the plan, because Tsuru needed some coverage for the World Government and Pirates."

"Why did you establish communication in my world to begin with? Why in the world did you make deals for those bastards?" Conan demanded. "Also, the Gorosei; tell me about them! You know what notes and pictures I have of them, now tell me!"

VegaPunk raised a brow. "I'm surprised that you wish to talk about them, but whatever. You are indeed correct, those five are apart of the original fifteen sub-kingdoms 800 years ago, and they've remained at the top of the world ever since the Void War. Originally, the world used to consist of large land masses such as your own, but the war had caused so much cataclysmic damage, that it literally reshaped the entire world's geography. I'm sure you've read up on weapons such as the Pluton, Helios, Poseidon, and Noah correct?"

"I've also done research on the Tequila Wolf bridge while I was at Marineford, those bastards wanted me to understand each power of the world sufficiently." Conan replied. "But if what you're saying is true, then those weapons were literally so powerful, they caused a world-wide apocalypse; how is that possible, considering that the technology was significantly more advanced than this world's present?"

"That's because the world was technologically more advanced than what you see today, we had cellphones, Ipods, and even laptops as your world does, we went even beyond that actually." Conan's eyes widened in surprise. "It was a utopian society, with technology so advanced all of our daily needs were taken care of, everyone had a job, and everyone had a place in the world. The only thing the people loved more than each other, were her majesty the queen, Osier Ire Anima, and his majesty the king, Bestial Oblate Ablest. Under the main kingdom, were fifteen sub-countries divided throughout the world, ruling as Vice-roys for the king and queen; it was a tense, necessary balance that had its limitations but still worked. The twenty Vice-roys were notoriously corrupt, and the king and queen knew this, and were trying to come up with a solution to obliterate the need for their positions; and a solution came."

"What's that?" Conan asked.

"Democracy." VegaPunk laughed. "Like some countries in your world, the king and queen decided to allow the people in each sub-kingdom to elect their own Vice-Roy, regardless of class or bloodline. This lead to breakdown in negotiations and eventually lead to a devastating war." He puffed his cigarette. "The king and queen were good people, but terribly naïve; they never took into account the Black Market, nor how powerful greed was in their top scientists, nor how much money the fifteen sub-kingdoms were paying them off to make such terrible weapons. The technology that was once used to fertilize crops and regrow forests, was now being used to split apart continents and make the clouds rain blood. No one survived such a terrible war."

"Except the Gorosei." Conan finished.

"Not exactly. The fifteen Vice-roys survived, none of them knew how to split up the land though. So it was simple, they dueled to the death; the last five standing are the Gorosei we all know today." He replied.

"How are they alive? They certainly didn't achieve immortality." Conan frowned when he thought of the picture, each member of he Gorosei was indeed an elder. The still aged, so what had happened?

"That, I honestly don't know; all I know is that they've been around since the Tenryuubito were first created." He sighed.

"Created?" Conan repeated.

"Yes, you've noticed it haven't you?" The scientist answered. "How their skin is so pale, how they're so short, and how their hair is only one particular way. The Gorosei needed some kind of cover to keep people from looking at them as figureheads, otherwise their movements would be much more restricted. Anyways, they obviously couldn't ask women to help them repopulate the world, so they decided on an alternative, ironically the most incomplete science of the Void Century- cloning."

"Cloning? Wait, you're saying that those bubbleheads are nothing but clones from the Gorosei's DNA?" The detective blinked.

"Indeed, however the science wasn't perfected at the time, and they're too paranoid to allow it to develop any further. The Tenryuubito are indeed the descendents of the original kingdoms, but not in the way people think; that is why there are so few of them and why the world never sees an infant of them. Because the cloning isn't perfect, the clones come out incomplete- they can't grow, age, or breed; they can have sex, but not reproduce, they are created a certain age and will stay that way as long as their genetic structure holds. But normally after about twenty years, they die out, and a new one takes its place." VegaPunk explained. "Do you follow?"

"I do…it's just…that's why they where those spacesuits, they literally can't be exposed to the same air because their bodies are nothing but decomposed corpses, aren't they?" Conan guessed.

"Yes, you are correct. The clones are not born alive, false memories are implanted in them and they take on their roles as the Tenryuubito as a normal computer would go to a web browser. They don't question the position their in, they just know they're supposed to be there. Their skin is not only pale, but flaky and translucent; as long as their head isn't exposed to normal air, they will survive." VegaPunk nodded.

"So the air in the Mariejois palace is specific to them. You convinced them that by shutting the windows and doors, all of their greatness is contained for themselves; that's also why none of them have disintegrated when they violate various people, it's hard to rape someone if you're trapped in a space suit." Conan pursed his lips tightly. "This world won't last, not under such tyranny and paranoia; the Gorosei have been making Tenryuubito since they took power 800 years ago, why do they see the need to expand their horizon? And if you knew all this…why did you follow it? Why'd you betray the Revolutionaries?"

"It's a funny world Kudo-kun." He lit another cigarette. "Sentomaru-kun wasn't lying when he said it was an accident that I stumbled upon your world, I was so excited by the development that I didn't think through the consequences. As for the Revolutionaries, I had nothing against them, I simply believe that Dragon-san's idea was nothing but a mere pipe dream. I wanted to expand my horizons, nothing more. You can recruit as many people as you want, but that doesn't make an army invincible; power and weapons do, and he realizes that now with this current situation."

The detective clenched his fists. "I think I understand now; by sacrificing me, Tsuru not only shows the Pirates and Revolutionaries the irrationality behind starting their own war, but she also scares the World Government and Navy out of starting one of their own and invading mine; not to mention, the biological evidence and show of violence will make the Black Organization retract the idea of coming here to begin with. They can't survive here, and the show of violence will tell them that there' no escape. It's a clever plan, everyone's blood-lust is satisfied and everyone got to see the outcome of this travesty. Tsuru-san was planning to kill me regardless of what action I chose when I first came here, and in saying that, she'll kill me in a way that sends the strongest statement to the world. To think that she used One Piece as nothing but a cover." He looked at the scientist straight in the eye. "Don't fucking screw with me; Tsuru plans to make my death as bloody as possible!"

"You're angry." The scientist observed.

"Of course I'm angry! I'm furious!" Conan exclaimed. "This never would've happened if the Navy wasn't so obsessed with defeating a dead man. Roger-san's long since passed this world, but everyone treats him as though he's alive through Ace-san! You, Tsuru, Garp, and the World Government are too damned afraid to imagine a world without the Gorosei breathing down your necks, because the reality is, you don't know any better!" Conan glared fiercely. "Also, you dare call yourself a scientist; don't you dare call yourself a scientist in my presence! I know two truly amazing geniuses that have been with me since I was turned back into a kid, and I'd trust with them with my life! They're willing to fight for their pursuits, their willing to push the boundaries to figure out how things work in the world! You did no such thing, VegaPunk-san…all you did was crawl to the side with most money and security and pursued with sadistic interest about which would be more amusing. You're no different than Donfalmingo-san; a coward who's too afraid to allow someone a fair chance."

"Heh." Without another sound, he sent the boy flying backwards against a wall. The boy cursed, realizing his arms and legs were now binded. "I'll tolerate a lot boy, but I am a scientist, and I won't be discredited by some nosy detective; while I don't approve what the Black Organization is doing, I understand their desires. Too change the world they live in, to a better place; their can't be peace without war kid; both mine and yours have proven that."

"It's always a war that starts from peace, so don't be so arrogant in that." Conan glared. "So, what now?"

"Now, we wait. Tsuru will come get you soon, and your companions will soon be eaten by those beasts, nothing to do but wait." He shrugged.

"I see, so VegaPunk-san wouldn't be interested in what I have to say then, right?" Conan asked.

"Say about what?" He raised a brow.

"While it's true that I have been utterly screwed over in several hundred ways in this world, I still know something you and no one else knows- you kill me, One Piece will be lost forever." The detective knew he struck gold from his expression. "While you may not be a pirate, I can tell that you'd need that treasure to be forever independent of this line of work. You made a deal with the devil, and now you want to get out of paying your due. The best way to do that was using me as a sacrifice for your own purposes as well."

"Tell me where One Piece is." VegaPunk glared.

"I also know the real reason why Roger-san was executed, and why Raftel is such a deadly island. You and Tsuru-san counted on many things to happen, but the one thing you didn't count on me was running into the Strawhat pirates." VegaPunk's eyes widened. "I think it's safe to say that I will soon meet the future King of the Pirates."

"Tell me where One Piece is!" VegaPunk yelled.

"You looked on Raftel just like everyone else in the World Government, but found nothing there; the Void cemetery must have a pretty scary ring to it. One Piece isn't for you, or anyone but the right person to find; Roger-san wanted it that way. Raftel is indeed every pirate and sailor's final destination point, I just wish it wasn't for the reason I discovered." Conan smirked.

VegaPunk then pulled a syringe from his labcoat, and walked up to the boy and in the next second, he stabbed him. Conan's eyes widened and began to feel pain from his chest to toes; his head was on fire, and he could feel himself losing feeling in his limbs. "Relax, what I injected you with isn't a poison, it's the juice from a devil fruit." He smirked at the panicked reaction from the boy. "I wonder how this will turn out, your body isn't of this world so you wouldn't have normal reaction to begin with in regards to consuming devil fruits, and no one's taken the juice of devil fruit into their body like that. I wonder how you'll fair."

"Bastard!" Conan struggled to glare.

"Relax, I have the cure, I just require you to tell me where One Piece is. Then after that…I'll give you , your normal body back." The scientist smiled.

"Go to hell." The boy hissed. "So, I have to go under Mariejois huh? That's where I first entered, right?"

"What of it?" VegaPunk raised a brow.

"It should've been obvious to begin with." The detective smirked. "I'll never speak of One Piece, I told Vista-san that I wanted to find it, to see for myself if I was right. But looking at you, a man who's so desperate to prove something to no one, I'm satisfied with just knowing; I don't need to see the treasure to know I've found it, and I don't wish to disrespect Roger-san by finding it."

"You are truly a stupid boy." VegaPunk sighed. "To think, your body had about a week and half left, that vial probably just took it down to a week."

"I figured, Tsuru-san would be playing fair if that was the case." Conan sighed.

"You still think you can win? Truly?" VegaPunk was indeed astonished.

"You'd be surprised of the situations I've pulled out of." Conan gave a wry smirk.

"Really? I look forward to hearing about them." VegaPunk froze and slowly turned around to face, none other than, Dracule Mihawk himself.

**New chapter will be out next week! Rememebr to review, ask questions, or converse theories with me!**


	31. Over the River

**Hey guys! So here's the next chapter, and I know you guys will kill me, but...Luffy's not appearing until the next chapter. I know you guys want to see him, but I didn't want to rush Luffy's introdcution, and he'll also be staying with Conan instead of seperating from him like the rest of the Strawhats. Also, Rayleigh gives a very dark explanation of cannibilism, to if you're a bit squimish, I appologize. Pretty much, the Gorosei are explained to Conan, and he finally arrives on Amazon Lilly. Please read, enjoy, review! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed**

The swordsman looked at the boy bounded on the table. "I am Dracule Mihawk, Red-Haired's acquaintance and owner of this island; I understand you are the famous Conan Edogawa, also known as Jimmy Kudo. You should know that I have transferred this entire conversation to Red-Haired, and have informed my new apprentice that his first assignment is to be completed in a matter of ten minutes. He will receive answers from his crewmates, who will be arriving here shortly. You should thank Nico Robin for contacting Red-Haired and I ahead of time to look for you, her explanation was much better than Dragon's." He turned to the paling scientist. "As for you, release the boy, give him the damned cure, or have your lab destroyed." He drew his sword. "Now."

Instead of that, VegaPunk reached into his cape and pulled a flash bomb, blinding the occupants in the room. Unfortunately, Mihawk's perfect eyes were his weakness in this case, for the light did indeed stun him. He cursed when he realized the mad scientist had escaped, but realized he wasn't stupid enough not to leave behind a cure. He quickly cut Conan's binds and helped the boy to the ground. "Can you stand?"

"No. Whatever he injected me with, paralyzed my body." Conan groaned.

"In that case, this will hurt." Mihawk sighed and plunged another needle into him. As much of a pain as it was, Conan slowly found himself regaining the use of his limbs.

"Thanks!" The detective groaned. "So Zoro-san knows I ran into his crew."

"Yes, but his crew is on their way to explain to him the situation. Go outside to meet up with him, I have to take care of things here." He explained.

"T-Thankyou Mihawk-san." Conan inclined his head respectively and quickly headed out.

Running down the hall, or best as he could, it didn't take long for him to run into Perona's ghost, which quickly lead him outside. There, he was scooped up Zoro and found himself blazing through the forest. "Zoro-san!"

"If you're a friend of my crew, that's all I need to know right now." The marimo replied.

"At least be more suspicious!" He heard Perona yell.

"Urusai." Zoro replied and turned his attention back to the boy. "Listen, I'm going to toss you to a guy named Rayleigh, he'll be responsible for taking you out of here."

"But what about you and your crew?" Conan asked.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine." Zoro sighed, and was at the beach a second later. There, Conan saw an old man, with a long scar down his eye, and had a long white ponytail. He was tall and wore a gold cape. "Rayleigh, catch!"

Conan was unceremoniously thrown like a weapon to the older man. "Hey!" The boy yelled.

"Thanks, Zoro-kun." Rayleigh gave a curt nod. "Well, if we don't get going, we'll get behind; say hi to the rest of your crew for me."

"Watch out for my captain." Zoro gave him a pointed look and ran back in the direction he came from, with Perona tailing behind him.

"Let's get going then, shall we?" Raleigh smiled. "I am Silver Raleigh, the former first mate of the Gold Roger pirates." He smirked at Conan's shocked expression. "We'll have plenty of time to talk on the ship, let's head out now! We're wasting time!"

**VegaPunk's Lab**

Mihawk and Shanks stood in the midst of the rubble while the pirate crew had gone off to raid the castle of any hints or clues that may help the boy. Unfortunately, none of them had any idea what that would be. Suddenly, Sentomaru burst in, along with Franky and Ussop. "Don't touch the master's stuff!"

"We don't have a choice." Mihawk replied. "Since you were VegaPunk's apprentice, you'll know what will actually be useful here instead of this mindless scavenger hunt."

"Hey! I already repaid that punk! Why should I help him- or any of you, dig up dirt on Master VegaPunk?" Sentomaru demanded.

"For one thing, he's just trying to get home." Ussop reasoned, searching for various gadgets that'd useful. "We're expecting quite a fight, aren't we Robin?"

"Eh." The dark-haired beauty walked in, along with Nami, a love-lorn Sanji, Brook, Chooper, and Zoro. "If what VegaPunk said is correct, we need to do our parts by collecting as much information about the Void Ruins; regardless of what we find, we know where to go. If Edogawa-kun has any hope of going home, or stopping this revolution, that's where he'll ultimately end up."

"So we head back to Sabaody, then?" Zoro spoke.

"Eh. But it won't be easy to infiltrate." Robin nodded.

"Leave that to me; I'm one of the few Shichibukai who has access to those damned places." Mihawk sighed.

"You can can't me and my crew in for this peaceful resolve." Shanks gave a hearty smile.

"So it's agreed then." Nami spoke up. "The Strawhats are officially allies to Conan Edogawa, the detective trapped in a little kid's body!"

"Yohoho! Couldn't have been said better!" Brook replied. With a nod of approval from the others, Nami smiled. "Yosh! Let's get as much useful stuff as we can!"

**With VegaPunk**

The scientist sighed as he looked his two comrades in the eye. Garp gave a regretful scowl, while Tsuru just gave an annoyed glare to the doctor. "So basically, he's figured out everything…even down to the King and Queen's names." The old woman asked.

"I don't know; the discussion never made it that far." He sighed. "All I know is…his lifespan's been shortened to a week, and he's heading for Strawhat Luffy, that's the only reason why they'd hand him off to Rayleigh."

"I see." Tsuru sighed. "I really didn't want to have to do this."

"What are you intending?" Garp asked.

"We'll have to meet him there: the Void Ruins." Tsuru hadn't felt this old in a long time.

**With Conan**

After being given a strict bed-rest order, Conan couldn't do anything except wait for Rayleigh to come back and stare out the window. After being thoroughly examined by some strange woman in a lion cloth, he now found himself waiting for the past two hours for the mysterious man who had saved him imminent death. Conan frowned when he thought of Zoro and Perona, would they be all right? His head perked when he heard the door to his room open.

"Don't worry, we're not intending to keep you here. You just need to rest up until we get to Amazon Lilly." Rayleigh smiled.

"How do you know that I wish to go to Amazon Lilly?" Conan asked suspiciously.

"Shanks called me and requested I make a special delivery. Remember that you were the one who wanted to find VegaPunk." The old man told carefully.

"Yeah, my arm is still sore." The boy groaned. "What was that stuff he injected in me?"

"Devil fruit juice." Rayleigh frowned. "There's been unethical research being done into Devil Fruits in order to find away to avoid the drowning hazard. Unfortunately, none have been successful; luckily, Mihawk-kun managed to force the cure out of VegaPunk before the serum did any damage, however…your system's even less stable now, most likely shortening your life to a week. Your body would've rejected a real devil fruit anyways, so you should feel glad you still have a week, than instant death."

"I see." Conan nodded and looked at the man carefully. "Who told you about my situation?"

"Perona used one of her assistants to find you, and the recorded all the conversation that was said. Not to mention, I was supplied semi-false information from Dragon, and that little chat cleared up the situation nicely. Seems as though our universe rests in your hands, detective. What do you think?" Rayleigh answered.

"I'm thinking about how the hell I ended up in this situation." Conan groaned. "This whole thing isn't exactly in my area of expertise, or talents. Even against normal people, my combat skills are just average; this whole experience has really humbled me to the fact that I rely way too much on my gadgets to fight."

"Nothing to be ashamed of, simply how your universe does things." The retired pirate smiled.

"That's true." The detective nodded. "So how do you know that I'm looking for someone at Amazon Lilly?"

"Luckily for you, Franky bore witness to your testimony, confirming your words. It's hard to believe Rob Lucci has a childhood love." Rayleigh laughed.

"It could easily be a ruse to lead me to something else." Conan frowned.

"Maybe, either way, it's a trip that can't be avoided." Rayleigh pointed out.

"That's true." Conan looked down hesitantly and then back at the old man. "Rayleigh-san…may I ask you, a few things about Roger-san?"

"I figured you would." The old man got up and poured himself a bottle of rum in the simple room. "I'd be glad to tell you, so long as I can drink. My wife's liquor seems to taste the best at these times."

"Ah." Conan nodded and with a sigh, began. "Regarding One Piece…am I to assume it where absolutely everything he knew and loved was buried?"

"Yes, you are right indeed." Rayleigh smiled. "Do you wish to know which island?"

"No, I'm good, thanks." Conan smiled at him. "But…could I ask you about Raftel?"

"Eh. It's ass you said, every Pirate's final destination point, for all the wrong reasons." He sighed. "The island is a make-shift melting pot. It's not seldom traveled because of its location, but because of what happens to pirates when they get there. Under the orders of the Gorosei, they made Rafetl the most notorious island in the New World, hence making all the young and veteran pirates flock there at the chance to find One Piece. As you suspected, they didn't formulate this rumor until a few years after Roger's death, so no one would've thought of this to anything but One Piece's location. Raftel was indeed our last stop before the captain got ill, however, it was mainly due to its location and geography, nothing more."

"So what exactly is there?" Conan asked.

"It's a death-snare; the Gorosei setup one of the ancient weapons to shoot out a gas that asphyxiates in under two minutes. We lost many that day." He sighed.

"Then why advertise Raftel at all?" Conan raised a brow. "According to the records, he told Whitebeard-san about how to get to Raftel."

"He did." Rayleigh nodded. "However, it was merely what the World Government thought they heard. The truth was, he was talking code and slipped Whitebeard an explanation in a sake bottle after the conversation. He was hoping Whitebard would find a way to fix the situation before any of the new generation would set sail."

"Unfortunately, that wasn't an option." Conan sighed.

"He wasn't willing to risk his crew, it's understandable." Rayleigh smiled but then frowned. "I'm not sure of the mechanics, but the Gorosei somehow setup the Helios under the island and has sense, controlled the poisonous gas on the island, as well as the whirlpools swallowing ships. Also, from what I remember, it would only take a few minutes for their bodies to disappear."

"So the bodies are being purged then." Conan replied.

"Eh. They have been as far as the island's been in existence, as far as I know." Rayleigh explained. "My captain got deathly ill from the island, and there was no cure for it. My captain was sad, he wanted to see his life with his family."

"So the bodies are harvested into the weapon…" Conan's eyes widened. "You think the Gorosei are gaining their pseudo-immortality from that, don't you?" He thought of the picture of the young men and their older comparisons in the present.

"I'm not a detective, but that's the best guess I can muster. With all the technology left behind by the Void War, it wouldn't surprise me." Rayleigh sipped his rim. "Currently, my theory is that they are part cyborg; their physical bodies age very slowly, however, their artificial organs stay sustained."

"Where do the dead bodies come in?" Conan asked.

"Due to the fact that they're only half human, they can't consume normal food, and I know a bit about the regenerative research from the Void Century. It's in the compartment draw if you want." He smiled. Conan reached over from his bed, and reached into the draw; after a few minutes his eyes widened to saucers.

"They're committing cannibalism." He dropped the file. "According to this, the way their skin regenerates cells, it has to use an active tissue or membrane of human DNA genetics as its base. So when they consume the bodies, they're ingesting youth."

"A dark twist on the fountain of youth isn't it?" Rayleigh sipped more of his rum. "My captain fell in love with Portgas D. Rouge, she was a noble of a prestigious city, and was set to rule there. My captain got captured, and she helped him escape in order to rebel against her father. Pretty funny really. While they were there, Rouge had discovered this heinous plot in her father's study. For you see…Rouge met our captain on Raftel, she lived in its forbidden city before the gas was active. But once she escaped with my captain, the Gorosei set it off unexpectedly, killing abut ten of our men."

"How'd Roger-san survive for so long?" Conan asked.

"Initially, Rouge had thought that she knew the cure for our captain's illness; for there was a method to prevent it from killing if you reacted quick enough. But alas, Roger was too heavily exposed to the substance, and it merely prolong his life for about twenty years. Those two knew, that it was a doomed arrangement from the start." Rayleigh explained.

"So we have a group of elders consuming the lives of people who go to a baited trap, in exchange for their livelihood." Conan simplified. "I don't get it, why are they aging then?"

"Simple. They're consuming the dead, not the living; active skin and organs are much better than inactive. They lack the rejuvenating qualities, so the Gorosei simply ages very slowly from this." The old pirate explained.

"So Rayleigh-san knew about the Gorosei and the World Government the whole time too, then?" Conan frowned.

"I only knew about the Gorosei's plot, I just found out the rest from you." He replied.

"So then what was…they're aging too quickly." Conan's eyes widened in realization. "That's what the point is of starting this revolution; the Black Organization has better youth-rejuvenation technology. By using the revolutions as distractions to the parties after me, they've been concocting a grand scheme to stop themselves from aging. That's what they ultimately want, they want the serum that turned me into kid. This was all an elaborate plot to kill me on all angles to begin with, wasn't it?"

"So you've figured it out. With their new found youth, and newly-cleansed world of pirates, revolutionaries, and weak marines, they would've entered a partnership with the Black Organization and taken over both our worlds." Rayleigh nodded.

"Damn it." Conan was looking down, clenching his fists. "By that logic, my friend, Anita's in danger. She's in the same boat I'm in, with this damned serum."

"I see." Rayleigh nodded. "Now that you know all this, what do you plan to do?"

Frowning, Conan looked away regrettably. "I don't know. It's all a lot to take in, so I'm not sure, in all honesty."

"Do you plan to give up?" The old pirate asked carefully.

"Hell no." Conan gave an instant reply. "I'm pissed, people have been screwing with me, left from right, and I'm sick of it! I'm taking matters into my own hands and fighting back."

"I like that answer. So no running away when people are at your side?" Rayleigh asked.

"No. I'm done running away, it's clear that's not an option anymore." Conan looked Rayleigh straight in the eye. "I'm ready for war, so take me to it."

"Very well then, consider me recruited, Captain Conan." Rayleigh stood and gave the boy a mock bow. "We have about a day's journey before we reach Amazon Lilly; use that time to strategize. I'm going to inform the nice friend, who is allowing us to use his ship." He took his rum and left for the door. "Good luck, my Captain."

**A Day Later**

Conan stood at the bow of the ship anxiously at the upcoming island, after being stopped by some of the guarding ships, they were allowed through once they noticed Rayleigh and Jinbe. Conan looked at the fishman, having been the first one he had seen. The fishman hasn't even introduced himself yet, and didn't seem to like Conan. The detective shrugged, not in the mood to deal with random discrepancies.

"Captain Conan." The boy twitched at the nickname, ever since yesterday, Rayleigh had been calling him that, every time he addressed the younger male. Conan knew it was a joke, but it was annoying. "Yeah? For the sake of your safety, I'll relent on calling you captain, for there are a few things I should warn you about."

"What?" Conan raised a brow.

"First of all, this has been a female-only island for many years, and only recently, has that tradition been broken. They islanders know me and Jinbe, so we're allowed on the grounds, however…you are not, and I believe you lost the dress that Ivankov gave you." He smirked in amusement.

"What's your point?" Conan didn't like where this was going.

"Until you prove yourself worthy to the empress, you'll have to make yourself scarce." He smiled.

"Why?" Conan raised a brow. "Is the no-male policy really that strict?"

"Fine, don't heed my warning; don't say I didn't warn you." Rayliegh could barely hold back his laughter.

**At the Dock**

Conan was careful to stay next to Rayleigh; Jinbe made the excuse of going back out to sea for some reason, and Rayleigh couldn't but chuckle. After a few minutes of uneventful walking, they stepped into a populated area, which seemed to be a typical Tarzan-utopian style village- only all female. Conan briefly wondered how the made the population stabilize.

"Oh, it's Rayleigh-san!" One of the locals came up to greet the, Conan recognized the lion-cloth outfit immediately, and suddenly got a bad feeling. "How's it-" then she noticed Conan. And after that, several other women did, along with several other women.

Then, the same nurse that checked him over, came dashing to the front. "I told you! The chibi-male does exist!"

"Eh?" Conan sweat-dropped.

"It's true! Look how small he is compared to Rayleigh!" Another one of them yelled.

"He's so cute!" Another one.

"I want to hold him!" Another one.

"No! I want to hold him!"

"No! Me!"

"Uhhh…" Conan started backing away towards the jungle, slowly. CRACK! All heads snapped to his direction, Conan cursed his luck for stepping on a twig of all things.

"KAWAAIII! HE'S TRYING TO ESCAPE! CUTENESS HUNT!" They all cheered. That was all the detective needed, he quickly darted off. When he fantasized about beautiful women being after him, this wasn't what he had in mind! Time to test out his upgraded skate board! Unfortunately, it worked too well; he blasted off into the jungle with the new rocket-booster enhancement.

"Ah youth." Rayleigh chuckled. "Good luck out there kid, you're going to need."

**With Conan**

After several minutes of high-speed travel, he finally was able to stop by crashing face-first into a palm-tree. Conan groaned as he slowly peeled off from the tree and landed on his butt. "I should've practiced first." He rubbed his head. "Where the hell am I?" He looked around himself, and found that he ended up in a random area in a lush forest he didn't know, that was most likely crawling with predators, and he was completely lost. But the voiced of the women chasing him, were enough to grab his skateboard and run away from the area. After turning a sharp corner, he ended up knocking into someone. The collision sent them both back.

"Watch it!" A distinctly female voice exclaimed. Conan was about to take a closer look at her, but she beat him to it. "Hey! Another male! You're even smaller than Luffy-san!"

'Luffy?' Conan repeated mentally.

"He went this way!" Shrill voices caught up to him, and without thinking, grabbed the unknown girl's hand. He didn't know the area, these women were insane and thought he was a plushie, and he needed someone to guide him out of this forest! So without a second thought, he ran off in the direction she came from, dragging her with him.

"Hey! Let go! I needed to bring more food to Luffy!" She exclaimed.

"Uh, no offense, but can that wait?" Conan asked. "Tell me where a good place to hide is here! Those women want to turn me into a stuffed animal!"

"Oh! I had to suffer that when I was little! Follow me!" She suddenly became sympathetic and steered them in a different direction. After a few minutes of running, they came to a small cave and were panting harshly. But when they got there, the girl seemed to panic. "OH NO! Luffy's missing! He must've wandered off! Oh, the empress is going to kill me!"

"Uh…I'm assuming this Luffy-san's not good at listening?" Oh, how he didn't know.

"That's one way to put it! You to him to do one thing, and he does the exact opposite!" The girl huffed. "Where could he have gone?"

Conan frowned and looked in the cave; he noted the bones of animals and fruits, but the trail of seed-shells of some kind caught his attention. "Does this cave lead anywhere?"

"I don't know, I've never really had time to explore it." The girl admitted. "I'm too busy with chores in the village, and I don't want anyone finding this place, so I just come here once in awhile."

"I see, from the evidence, it seems that Luffy-san's wandered into the cave. If we follow the path, we should find him." Conan reasoned.

"Do you wish to meet Luffy?" She asked.

"After that traumatizing experience, I need to know there's another guy on this island." Conan admitted. "Oh yeah, I'm Conan Edogawa; what's your name?"

"Marguerite! Amazon Lilly warrioress extraordinaire!" She introduced.

"Marguirete…" For some reason, that name sounded really familiar. Conan took a closer look at her, she had short-sandy blonde hair, pale skin, wore the same lion-cloth midriff outfit as her Amazonian sisters, and had chocolate brown eyes. He knew he had seen her before, but where? But then it hit Conan! This was Lucci's childhood friend!

**Sorry if Marguerite seemed OOCish, it just worked with my fic, and honestly...I found her persaonlity a bit boriong in the anime and manga, so I spiced it up a little. So remember to review and PM if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. Also, I have no idea what the Helios actually does or supposed to do, I just thought the name fit. Thanks!**


	32. Captain of the Strawhats

**Hey guys! Here's the moment you have all been waiting for! Conan meets Luffy! As I said, I didn't want to rush Luffy's intro, so be prepared when he shows up! There are a couple things I want to say; several people have asked me if this is the end, and many have asked me to include other Case Closed characters; I will answer both questions now. First: no, this story is only about half way done, maybe a little over half-way done at best. Just because Conan's met them all, doesn't mean the climax has occurred; I'm not sure what made you guys think that to begin with. Secondly, in all honesty, I really don't want to add any more Case Closed characters. I can barely keep the plot straight n my head as it is, I don't want any other complications. So in short, there's a lot more to come! So read, enjoy, review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed**

"Conan-kun?" Marguerite waved her hand in front of his face. The detective wasn't paying attention, he couldn't freakin' believe it! She was real! She was actually real! Lucci wasn't making it up! "Conan-kun!"

"What?" He snapped out of it.

"You okay? You spaced out all of the sudden." She asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Conan smiled nervously. "Shall we look for Luffy-san?"

"You're right! We're wasting time here!" Marguerite agreed and they headed off into the dark cave.

**Amazon Lilly Palace**

"GAAAAAAHHH!" A femine roar could be heard within three miles of the palace, the glass broke inside the palace. "WHERE IS HE? WHERE IS HE? FIND HIM! THERE'S NO TELLING WHAT'LL HAPPEN TO HIM WITHOUT ME!" Boa Hancock's calls of rage echoed the palace.

"I'm assuming I came at a bad time." Rayleigh deduced.

"Eh. Luffy-kun got bored, so he ran away. Now the empress thinks he's found another woman and his going crazy." Nyon explained.

"I see." The old pirate replied. Maybe sending Conan off on his own to find Luffy was a bad idea.

**With Conan**

Luckily, Conan had a flashlight guiding them through the cave, both weren't liking on how narrow it was becoming. "So, why was Luffy-san hiding in the cave to begin with?"

"Huh..." Marguerite sweat-dropped. "Our empress has fallen head over heels in-love with him, and is convinced he'll be her husband. But Luffy-kun's so oblivious and clueless to her feelings, that he doesn't understand what she wants and always says the wrong thing. Then, the empress freaks out and tries her best to please him. Really, Luffy's a nice person, but the way he's making our empress is extremely unsettling."

"Wow…so he escaped the palace, basically?" Conan asked.

"He didn't even realize he was captured, he just wandered outside because he got bored in his room." The blonde explained.

"Wow again…" Conan sweat-dropped, really, this Luffy-person sounded more like a goof-ball than a fierce pirate captain. Was it possible it was the wrong one? In this world, Luffy could've easily been a common name. Conan sighed in disappointment, that had to be it; which meant…going through this cave was a damned waste of time.

After ten minutes, the path was so squishy that Conan and Marguerite were forced to crawl, single-file, it was really getting hard to breathe. Just when Conan was about to say turn back, the two of them fell through a hole.

"AAAUGH!" Luckily, they landed on something soft. Blinking, they realized they landed on some sort of bouncy, giant mushroom. After bouncing on it a few times, Conan looked down and saw that like a stairway, the mushrooms formed a line to the ground.

"Marguerite-san!" Conan pointed ahead of himself.

"Gotcha!" She followed his suit. After a few more bounces, they were on the ground. "That was fun!"

"Un." Conan nodded and looked around himself. The cave they were in was truly beautiful; it was decorated with gold, silver, and some kind of gemstone strewn into the wall. It was a cave that his world would've killed itself for in war. Looking ahead, he saw that there was a path, and there sandal-prints in the dirt. "Marguerite-san! He went this way!"

"You're right!" She spotted the print and followed Conan down the chasm.

Soon they came across something, that made Conan question fantasy and reality. In front of them, was a plateau of blue grass, trees, and had a giant worshiping alter at the center of it. It had a Shinto design, with a bowel to hold fire in its center; Conan frowned, it was a worship alter for Shinto and Buddhist rituals. What was it doing down here? He knew that he didn't have time for this, but his detective instincts were calling out to him. Wordlessly, he stepped forward into the plateau and began to walk to the alter.

"OI!" Marguerite followed after him. Conan looked around himself, wondering how the coloring was so strange on the plants, but they remained vibrant and healthy. Coming up on the alter, he started walking the stairway. He didn't know why, but he couldn't take his eyes off the top of the alter. "OI!" Marguerite spun him around, snapping him out of his trance. "What's wrong with you?"

"Oh, uh…sorry, I just…this place is really beautiful, that's all." Conan gave a lame reply; he actually didn't know what came over him.

"Well whatever, we should probably get out of here." The Amazonian replied.

"Okay, I just need to see something first." Without warning, the boy took off for the top of the alter.

"Conan-kun!" Marguerite followed him, closely behind.

The boy wasn't listening, he kept running until he reached the flat-top of the alter; meeting the giant structure of the traditional Shinto entrance-structure. He further observed the area, noting all the abandoned miko staffs and wishing paper; it was as dark as midnight up here, despite the high elevation, but what caught his attention was the strange drawing on the ground. Slowly walking over to it, Conan crouched down and turned on his flashlight, getting a better grip on what it was a picture of.

"Hey, it's a picture of the Poneglyphs in some type of diagram." Marguerite looked at the picture, as did Conan. The diagram was fairly simple in design, but it spoke so much. It was a giant circle, with four marks on each respective side of the circle, with running-water lines to emphasize the separation between the marks. The marks had the kanji symbols for north, south, east, and west; Conan knew about the poneglyphs from the Ohara research incident, and knew that there were four of them. Conan's eyes widened in realization! This wasn't a diagram, it was a map! The first poneglyph was located in Alabasta- the west; the second was located in Skypia- the north, the third one was located on Fishman Island- the south, and finally…the last one was on Raftel- the East. It was an old time compass-map that reminded him deeply of his world.

"You know about the poneglpysh, Marguerite-san?" Conan asked.

"Yeah; Luffy-kun told me his crew mate's dream was reading them and finding out the world's true history." The blonde explained. "He told me about all the crew's dreams."

"I see." Conan nodded. He walked to the center of the circle, and then noticed an eye at the center of it, with sun surrounding it. Without a word, he crouched down and dusted it off, and through his high-tech glasses saw a diving-line in the pupil- just like a double-door.

"Huh. I wonder what this is." She scratched her head in bewilderment.

"We won't know until we find out." Conan struggled at first, but finally managed to pulled apart the pupil door.

"Hey be careful! That's an Amazonian artifact!" Marguerite exclaimed.

"Sorry." Conan winced as he pulled the item out. It was really lodged in there, so pulling it out was not easy, in fact, Conan landed on his butt by the end of it. "Got it!" He raised the item up in victory, which turned out to be a very tattered book. And then ground began to shake and the ceiling began to crumble. "Uh oh." Was not expecting an Indiana Jones reference.

"Now look what you've done! Are men stupid throughout their life or something?" Marguerite demanded. She readied her snake bow and shot a vine around Conan, and pulled him to her. "We're getting out of here!"

"Right!" Conan wasn't very confident that he could use his skateboard, but after a giant boulder fell on the stairway, blocking their paths, he quickly rethought the decision. Getting out of her grip, he took the vine around himself and lassoed Marguerite as well, connecting them. "Hold on!"

"Wait! Wha-" Marguerite didn't get a chance to finish as she found herself speeding in the opposite direction. She had never gone this fast before. "What's going on? How are we going so fast!"

"My skateboard!" Conan shouted back at her, desperately trying to steer.

"What the hell's a skateboard?" Marguerite demanded.

"The thing that's keeping us alive!" He answered.

"Do you even know where we're going?" Marguerite demanded.

"NO! I can barely steer here!" The detective exclaimed. This was true, between shouting back and forth at the blonde, the speed of the skateboard, he could barely steer around the falling rocks and cracking ground. He really should've seen this coming; that was such an obvious trap! "Crap!" They were coming up to a large cliff, and it's be a hell of a jump to make it to the other side.

"Don't stop Conan-kun! The rolling rock's gaining on us!" The blonde shouted.

"What?" Rolling rock? This really was an Indiana Jones reference! Damn! That meant they had no choice but to try and make the jump. "Hang on!"

"Wait, whaaaa?" The skateboard sped up tremendously, and Conan kept his gaze fixed on the other side. With the rocket boosts, he went for the jump. Time seemed to pass in slow motion as he scaled the width of the jump, the drop below didn't help matters at all. At the last second, they managed to scrape the other side, making a relatively safe landing.

Looking back behind themselves, both passengers gave a sigh of relief. But Marguerite's eyes bugged out and pointed in front of her. "LOOK OUT!"

"Huh? DAH!" Now they really were heading straight for a cliff, and it was too late to stop. "We're going down!"

In the next second, everything seemed to stop. Conan felt himself falling, he could see Marguerite falling, into a large body of crystal-blue water it would seem. Conan thought the scenery was beautiful, there was a waterfall, a beautiful lake, and crystals and gemstones surrounding a blue-sanded beach. So naturally when something shot out and wrapped around him and Marguerite, he thought he was dreaming. In the next instant, he was snapped back into the beach area beside the waterfall. "Marguerite-chan! There you are!" A male, childish voice spoke. Conan blinked and turned to the owner of the voice. He was a lanky, and skinny boy that looked to be in his late teens, black hair, black eyes, had a scar under his eye, wore a simple blue button-down tank top, red shorts, and finally…wore a beatup, old Strawhat.

'It couldn't be…' was the detective's thoughts.

"Luffy-kun!" Marguerite spoke up, and bonked the Strawhat boy on the head. "What the hell were you doing? I told you not to wander off!"

"Sorry!" He crouched down to Conan's level. "I got bored, so I started exploring!"

"Without me? I told you, you'd get lost in in this jungle!" Marguerite exclaimed.

"But I didn't go exploring in the jungle! I went exploring in the cave!" Luffy laughed as he made argument, which earned him another bop on the head.

"You idiot! Thanks to you, I was almost dragged to my death, by this brat!" She pointed to the detective.

"OH! You're a friend of Marguerite-chan! Awesome! Eh…are you really a girl though?" Luffy asked.

"No, I'm not a girl! What the hell would make you think that?" A vein-popped on the detective's head.

"So another guys' here, that's great! Now we can do guy stuff!" Luffy smiled.

"Like what?" Conan sweat-dropped; now certain that this couldn't possibly be the captain of such a strong crew.

"I don't know, but Nami would always say that she and Robin needed girl-time whenever they went out with everyone else, then Sanji would try to follow them and they'd get mad. Then Zoro would drink all of Nami's sake, Brook would play a fun song, and me, Ussop, and Chooper would sing to it!" Luffy smiled. Okay, he didn't mention Franky! "Then Franky would come out, with soda cannons ready!"

'It's not possible!' Conan stared at the skinny lad, not being able to picture him in an authorative setting at all. "Er…I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet…I'm Conan Edogawa."

Luffy gave a hearty smile. "My name's Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm going to be 'King of the Pirates'!"

'Crap! Same as Garp-san's last name!' Thought Conan, and when he remembered further…he was Monkey D. Dragon's son…. "It's not possible…" Conan muttered as he furthered stared at the rubber boy. Garp didn't strike Conan as serious as his son, Dragon, but after meeting the older Monkey D. men, he had been expecting someone at least slightly in intimidating. "Er…nice to meet you."

"So! What's your dream, Conan?" Luffy asked.

"Er…to be the world's greatest detective." He answered. It wasn't a lie, and he was on the verge of becoming that in his home world too, then that damned serum!

Luffy gave him pointed frown. "Oh, you want to be a marine then."

"Hell no! Those people are crazy!" Conan exclaimed.

"AH!" Luffy beamed again, and slung Conan over his shoulder. "That means you'll be a super-cool spy for the pirates! Awesome plan!"

"Uh…sure…let's go with that." The detective reluctantly agreed; for now, assuming this was the real Monkey D. Luffy, he needed the pirate's trust, and he knew he wasn't going to get it by saying he was on the side of law-enforcement.

"By the way, Conan-kun, how'd you get to Amazon Lilly? Men aren't allowed here." Marguerite spoke up.

"I hitched a ride with a guy named Silver Rayleigh-san." Conan answered.

Suddenly Conan was staring into a crazed expression that was almost unrecognizable. "Rayleigh's here?"

"Yeah, why?" Conan answered. The boy was suddenly dropped, and Luffy sped off. 'For a skinny guy, he can sure run fast.' Conan sweat-dropped.

"Wait Luffy!" Marguerite called out feebly. "We all need to figure a way out of here together…"

"There's an exit around here somewhere." Conan replied logically. "The entrance we came down couldn't possibly be used as an exit, so-"

"You know the way out then, right Conan?" Luffy asked making the detective jump.

"How'd you reappear magically like that? Is that some kind of trick?" Conan demanded.

"What do you mean? I couldn't find an exit, so I came back to find you guys." Luffy blinked in confusion.

'That means he ran faster than the speed of sound.' Conan inwardly thought. "Right, so anyways-"

"Wait!" Marguerite interrupted. "You still haven't explained what you're doing here! Luffy-san's allowed because the empress loves him, but you're a different story entirely! Now, why did you have Rayleigh compromise is treaty with Amazon Lilly and bring you here?"

"The empress here loves him?" Conan repeated. He didn't know why, but for some reason, romance and this strawhat-guy simply didn't compute.

"Don't change the subject!" Marguerite yelled.

"Ne…what are you doing here, anyways Conan?" Luffy repeated the golden girl. "It actually is weird that another guy's here. Hancock said that wasn't allowed."

'You just realized there was something weird about me being here?' Conan twitched in annoyance. Sighing, he wondered how he was supposed to approach this…it was very obvious that Marguerite obviously tolerated Luffy, he himself, was on very thin ice with the blonde. Could he tell them the reason why he came here, flat-out? Would Marguerite even believe him? Suddenly, a thought crossed his head, he had no idea if this was going to work, but he might as well go for it. "Um, actually…I was sent to this island to fetch Marguerite-san here." He replied nervously.

"Eh? Marguriete-chan, you know him?" Luffy tilted his head in confusion.

The blonde narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "So running into me wasn't coincidence, was it?"

"No, actually it was. Believe me…" If it wasn't he would've come up with a story that Lucci wasn't going to slaughter him for. "But…you know how I said I wanted to be a detective?" Both taller people nodded their heads. "Well…due to my knack for trying to help people who have been wronged by the World Government or some other form of higher power, I went to investigate Cipher Pole 9, and got in over my head."

"CP9?" The pirate captain adorned a frown.

"Ah. Their leader, Spandam-san…had been running a casino that was forcing people with massive debts to attend. Basically, the idea he had was to drain people dry of their money for his own personal gain. Anyways, I got caught digging around their casino, and that where you come in Marguerite-san." Conan explained nervously.

"I'm listening." The blonde nodded.

"A man that goes by the name of Rob Lucci-san has basically demanded your hand in marriage." Conan said flat-out. A very heavy silence engulfed the three of them, the awkwardness was practically suffocating.

Finally, Marguerite spoke. "What?"

"Yeah…he really didn't give me a reason why, but…in exchange for my life, and the World Government not going after me, Lucci-san wanted me to offer his hand it you as a proxy." Honestly, out of all lies he could come up with, this had to be the most ridiculous! His eyes widened, the picture. "Also, he said to give you this, Margureite-san." He handed her the picture.

The blonde's eyes widened, as she saw herself standing next to a familiar boy with dark hair and a pigeon. She picked Conan up by his collar. "Where'd you get this?"

"Lucci-san had it." Conan answered.

"Impossible! I've lived on Amazon Lilly my whole life, how in the world could this picture be possible?" Marguerite exclaimed.

"How would I know? I'm just the messenger!" Conan exclaimed. Not to mention…it probably wasn't the best time to mention to the Strawhat captain what state he left his crewmate in.

"Maguereite-chan." Luffy interrupted them. "CP9 attacked my crew, destroyed our precious nakama, Going Merry, and had the nerve to try to execute Robin. Don't blame Conan for something they're forcing him to do." The detective stared at the pirate in slight shock, noting the atmosphere change significantly. The boy seemed more…dangerous, commanding, like…he was actually a pirate captain. "Conan."

"Uh yeah!" The boy quickly snapped out of his surprise.

"When did you face CP9? Why do they actually want Marguerite to go?" Luffy asked suspiciously.

"Yeah! And this picture!" The blonde pointed out.

"I…about a month ago, and I don't know anything about the picture. I went to Sabaody on as a stowaway because I heard Rayleigh-san had connections to Amazon Lilly. I'm sorry to have deceived you two, but I am merely trying to keep myself alive." Conan lied. "I don't know what CP9 wants, all I know is, Lucci requested Marguerite-san specifically."

"I see." Luffy nodded and took Conan from the blonde Amazonian. "Don't worry. I beat up Lucci once, I can do it again!" His grin came back on.

"Again?" Uh oh. That didn't sound good.

"Yeah! Like I said, they destroyed Going Merry and almost killed Robin!" Luffy pounded his fists together. "If anything, I didn't beat them up enough last time!"

"Uh…thanks Luffy-san…" Conan was nervous, he really screwed up; he didn't realize that Luffy had gotten into a fight with Lucci before. Did that mean that Lucci let them go because he respected Luffy? Crap! What had he done? "By the way…who's 'Going Merry'-san?"

"She was our old ship." Luffy put on a gentle smile and actually took off his hat and placed it above his heart. "She came through for us when we needed her, she saved us one last time before she was put to rest. Part of her still lives on with us and in Sunny."

"Sunny?" Conan repeated, honestly impressed by the boy's sentimentality.

"Yeah, Franky built the 'Thousand Sunny' as part of joining our crew. It's awesome! I worthy successor to Merry!" Luffy smiled, putting his hat back on. "Saa! Let's get out of here to beat Lucci!"

"Yeah! I'll teach him to mess with me!" Marguerite seethed.

"Sounds great…" The detective replied nervously; Lucci was going to freakin' kill him. "Let's find a way out of here, shall we?"

**Elsewhere on the island**

"I WANT MY FUTURE HUSBAND FOUND AFTER MY BATH! IS THAT CLEAR?" Hancock shouted at the poor Amazonians. Even her sisters pitied those had to serve her at the moment.

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." Rayleigh sweat-dropped.

"Don't rock the boat any more than you already have." Nyon replied.

**Back with our heroes  
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Conan was at the back of the group sweating profusely, wondering which method Rob Lucci was going to skin him alive. His mission was slightly accomplished, feigning ignorance had earned him a 'free-of-blame' status with Marguerite, and had earned Luffy's trust; although he was certain the Strawhat boy still harbored a lot of suspicion. How could he have forgotten that Lucci had fought the Strawhats? Oh wait, he knew…between breaking conspiracies, escaping insane pirates and revolutionaries, and investigating impossible science-horror theories, he forgot all about it. But he had gotten Marguerite to agree to go with him to meet up with Lucci, with Luffy in tow. He wasn't sure how he was going to explain this to Lucci once they met up, but he'd jump off that cliff when the time came.

Speaking of cliffs, Conan was beginning to wonder just how they were going to get out of here. From what he could tell, the bouncing mushrooms were definitely planted on purpose at the entrance, so there had to be a logical exit somewhere in here. "Marguerite-san?"

"Yeah?" The blonde turned back to him.

"Did you know about these ruins at all?" The boy asked.

"No. I wasn't aware they existed." The Amazonian frowned. "The elders never mentioned it, and I'm sure the empress doesn't know either."

'Damn. That means the empire of Amazon Lilly was built after this place was forgotten.' Conan inwardly cursed. He knew people forgot it because it had been untouched; no renovation had been done, and it literally looked like no one had been down here in centuries. A fair estimate definitely. His eyes widened when he remembered the book he pulled out from the crevice. Pulling it out of his backpack, he cursed, it was in the same language as the poneglyphs; should've expected this! That meant he'd need Robin to translate this. Putting it back safely, he went to catch up with the others.

"Hey what's that?" Luffy stopped and pointed ahead.

"What?" Conan asked, and his eyes widened at what they saw. In front of them was a bunch of silver-encased leaves that were somehow floating above boiling, hot water. From what Conan could tell, the leaves seemed completely resistant to the heat and steam. SPLOOSH! Several geysers shot up into random holes into the ceiling, splashing down as they came.

"SUGOI! That's so cool!" Luffy exclaimed.

"What is this?" Marguerite asked in fascination.

"It's a geyser field." Conan answered logically. "It's basically a pool of water that rests above a volcano and-" He stopped abruptly when he saw that both his companions were lost. "Never mind, it's hot water that shoots in to the…air." Realization dawned upon the detective when he realized just how they had to get out. They found their exit.

"Conan-kun?" Marguerite waved a hand in front of him.

"I just found our way out." Conan twitched in annoyance.

**5min Later**

"Okay, let's set sail!" Luffy cheered and pushed the leaf they were sitting on off the bank. After several tense minutes, the members relaxed when they realized the leaf indeed was holding them up. "What now, Conan?"

"Head to an area that's under a hole." Conan directed.

"Got it." The blonde girl managed to row them to a good spot. "Okay, now what?"

"Now, we wait." The detective answered. After several minutes…SPLOOSH!

"AAAAUUGH!" They yelled as they were shot up into the air.

**Hancock**

The beautiful woman gracefully adorned her hair with the suds and scents of the shampoo and oils in her bathroom, making sure to apply a scent of meat for her love. She washed them away with a single bucket.

**With Heroes  
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SPLASH! They landed harshly back in the hot water. "Hey! Why didn't it work?" Marguerite demanded.

"Maybe the water wasn't strong enough." Luffy shrugged.

"No…" They were too heavy was the detective's thought, reaching into his belt he brought out what looked like an alchezelar pill. And with a small prayer for luck and survival, he threw it in the hot water below them. "HANG ON!"

"Huh?" Luffy and Marguerite blinked, confused as to why the boy was holding the leaf desperately. Until…SSSSSPPPPPLLLLOOOOOOSSH!

**At the Palace**

BBBBOOOOMM! "EMPRESS!" The Amazonian guards rushed in. "Are you…okay?" They sweat-dropped at the strange scene they walked into.

Hancock's sisters ran in next. "What happened?" They demanded. "And…sister?"

Before them was the destroyed bathroom of their beloved sister and empress, with broken pipes having water run down them, parts of the wall were destroyed, the ceiling was dismantled, and it had looked like a huge hole had been blown in the center of the bath. Causing the water to drain down into that mysterious cave. Also, it looked like the whole room had been flooded with water and had been unceremoniously drained out, which explained why Luffy and Marguerite were partially hanging over random rocks and debris. But where was their sister?

"Marigold, look!" The tallest Boa sister pointed at the strand of black hair behind a knocked down pillar. When the Amazonians moved the debris to find their queen, silence was bestowed upon them. There was their beautiful, almighty pirate empress, being fondled by some prepubescent, filthy, male that clearly didn't know his place.

Conan groaned, he had landed on something that smelled nice and was very squishy. He was grateful he didn't crash headfirst into a rock, although he was about to feel otherwise in a moment. Trying to gather his bearings, he squeezed the large squishy thing again, trying to figure out what it was; water was still in his ears and the sudden sunlight did not help his splitting headache. But a moan and shift of the thing beneath him brought him back to reality. Blinking, he lifted himself to stare at the most beautiful woman he had ever seen; her sink was white snow, her hair was black as night, and her brow was high and articulate, indicating grace and nobility. But that was also when Conan realized she was naked, and he was on top of her, squeezing her breast.

"AHEM!" Conan gulped and slowly turned to look death in the face behind him. He saw a bunch of furious Amazonians that were obviously looking at his filthy hands, and body that dared try to violate their empress. A dark aura of flames and hate consumed them, murder clearly written on their face.

"This isn't what it looks like." Conan smiled feebly.

BAM! POW! BOOM! KICK! Conan was unconscious by the time he was thrown into a cell, but was still conscious to see that Rayleigh-bastard's grin.

**Review please! Thanks! If you have any questions or comments, PM like always!**


	33. One last Shot

**Hey guys! Lucky fanfiction is fixed. So anyways, I was a little disappointed with the lack of reviews from the last chapter. Did you guys not like it, or was something else wrong? You guys did the same thing to the Nico Robin conforntation, you guys made so much buzz, but brarely responded when it came out. Well whatever. Anyways, in this chapter you may be slightly dissapointed in me; Hancock and Conan honestly don't have a huge confrontation, mainly because I want to move the story a long. There will be one more island before Void Ruins, read to find out. So read, enjoy, review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed**

Conan groaned and struggled to open his eyes, he looked around himself and found that he was in a fairly luxurious room. He was a queen-sized bed, with red bed sheets, several dressers, and cabinet. He had his own bathroom, but strangely…there was only one way out, and no windows. He sighed, he was in a prison of some type again, but at least it was a nice one. Man! His head hut like hell! Which reminded him…how did he get here again? Where was he? After a few moments, it finally dawned on the boy…oh shit! Half of him wanted it to be a dream, the other half of him wanted to forget the whole incident even happened. Sure, he got to squeeze the breast of the most beautiful woman to ever live, but he was barely conscious, and was nearly pummeled to death for it. Conan's eye twitched, that dammed Rayleigh-bastard planned that.

"Oh good, you're awake." Speaking of which, Rayleigh came in with a tray of food as well as Conan's bag and belt. The old pirate tossed him his things. "You're lucky I snatched these off you before they threw you into that cell, I don't think they would've bothered looking through it with how angry they were."

"You freakin' planned that, you bastard." A vein popped on the detective's head.

"Not all of it, I certainly didn't plan on you introducing yourself in such a way." Rayleigh smirked. "So…how'd you like it?"

"I wouldn't know, I was barely conscious!" Conan replied indigently while blushing. "So none of that was a bizarre dream, I actually met the captain of the Strawhats?"

"Yep, the one and only, Monkey D. Luffy." The dark king smiled. "What'd you think?"

"Not what I expected in the slightest." Conan took the orange juice offered and sipped it. "Also, Marguerite-san….I can't believe she exists."

"As you said, she could easily be a ruse." Rayleigh pointed out.

"Maybe…" The detective frowned. "But the picture was way too similar; she looked exactly like that younger girl with Lucci-san. Either way, I need to find a way to convince her to come with me to meet up with Lucci-san."

"Oh that's not a problem." Rayleigh smiled. "After hearing testimony from both Luffy and Marguerite, the Boa sisters have decided to spare your 'meager life' as they put it, however there will be some attachments as you imagine. Amazon Lilly law requires that Marguerite not only confront Lucci but also defeat him in battle for dishonoring Amazon Lilly's purity; she will also function as Luffy's bodyguard during this time."

"Luffy-san's coming with us?" Conan asked surprised.

"Of course." Rayleigh smiled. "After explaining his past encounter with CP9, Hancock concluded that would be best if Luffy went with the two of you, in reassurance that Marguerite's purity and essence remain intact."

"In other news, they just want to catch me in action, so they'll have an excuse to kill me." Conan's eye twitched in annoyance. "I'm going to assume immediate execution is my punishment for 'impure intentions and behavior'." God he felt like Keitaro Urashima at the moment.

"You catch on quick that's good." Rayleigh smiled but then turned serious. "It's actually good you've got Luffy-kun along now you know; the rest of the Strawhat crew is already behind you for a peaceful resolution, so it's only natural that Luffy will too. Not to mention, from here on out, you won't get by on sheer intelligence and fancy gadgets alone. You'll be witnessing pretty bad fights coming up."

"Does Luffy-san know I met his crew?" Conan asked.

"No, I gave him the same story you told him, and apologized to the Boa sisters for not giving them enough advanced warning. It's best that he and Marguerite-chan hear the truth from you; you've gotten so used to lying, it's become a part of you." Rayleigh scolded.

"And here I thought I broke the habit." Conan sighed. "But I can't deny what you're saying, I'll definitely need Luffy-san's help at this point. It's just…can I really ask him to go against his family like this? Does he even know how they're involved?"

"No, as I said…he knows nothing of the situation you're in, Edogawa-kun." Rayleigh replied. "However…you might be able to convince Garp and Dragon not to fight, if both D. brothers were to face them."

"D brothers?" The detective repeated.

"Eh. Luffy-kun's older, adopted brother, and my captain's son- Portgas D. Ace." The old man smiled.

PPPPFFFT! Conan sputtered out his juice. "W-What?"

"That's right! The man you broke out of Marineford and prevented the whole war is Luffy-kun's older brother. Mention that to him if in doubt, and he'll trust you no matter what!" The old pirate clapped his hands together.

"Luffy-san's older brother…" God he felt stupid! How the hell could he have forgotten that on the reports at Marineford, that it read that Garp had two grandkids. That made sense why he had spoken to Ace in the cell, now things were making sense. "I really am getting lazy when it comes to memorization."

"It happens to the best of us." Rayleigh replied. "I'll leave it up to you of how or when to tell Luffy, but I'd recommend doing it before the three of you meet up at the Void Ruins. It'll make things far less complicated than needed."

"What do you mean?" Conan asked.

"Have you forgotten, Captain? Everyone's waiting for you at the Void Ruins." Rayleigh smiled.

Conan frowned. "When you say everyone, that means…pretty much everyone that I've run into, correct?"

"Yep. That's why it's probably better if Luffy-kun hears it from you, rather than someone else." The old pirate sighed.

"Ah. I get it." Conan sighed and took another sip. "So these Void Ruins, how do I get there, and how do I know what I'm looking for?"

"Hm? You didn't read the book you found?" The old pirate kept his straight smile.

The glass practically broke in his hand. "So you did know about that cave. You had also planned on everything happening as such, didn't you?"

"You are the most fun I've had in years, detective Kudo. Nothing personal." The elder confirmed.

"Whatever." Conan sighed; getting mad wouldn't do anything. "I found the book hidden in the middle of a diagram of some kind. It reminded me of compass honestly, it pointed to where the four poneglyphs were, as well as what islands they were on. Also, the book's in the same language as the poneglyphs, so I couldn't read it. Rayleigh-san, what is this book? What was that diagram?"

"A glimmer of hope actually." The old pirate smiled. "I never explained to you, just how the world survived the three weapons, now did I?"

"No, you didn't." Conan answered honestly.

"While it's true that the fifteen sub-kingdoms pulled a fast one on the king and queen, that doesn't mean the royal couple didn't have a few tricks of their own." The detective nodded for the man to continue. "Tell me…are you aware of the words 'Information Network System'?"

"You're serious?" Conan looked at him

"Eh. The few scientists that stayed loyal to them had descendents back in the Ohara incident. Tragically they are all dead and we do not have the time to make such a trip, however, their ancestors left behind very useful notes on the poneglpysh, as well as contributions made by Portages D. Rouge. The loyal scientist created a transmission disruptor that temporarily fazed the other super-weapons. They eventually developed it to the point where the ancient weapons could only be activated by a simple code word. Thus, the ancient weapons shut down, but that didn't end the war. The king and queen simply wanted a way to end the war, nothing more." Rayleigh explained.

"This device can transcend what VegaPunk-san's developed? How can you be so sure?" Conan asked.

"Simple. The poneglyph on Raftel explains in full detail of how the device works and just what happened to the ancient weapons. The king and queen had the last of their troops seal and dismantle the weapons, never wanting them to see daylight again." The old pirate took a sip of rum. "Like the technological advancement of your world, this 'internet', it can go through invisible highways and passages that can either send or destroy information."

"So you're basically telling me to use that device to send VegaPunk's invention a virus that would permanently destroy the connection. Just like the ancient weapons." Conan's eyes widened. "Nice plan, but what does that have to do with the Void Ruins, is it there?"

"Oh no, you have one more island to go through before you go there." Rayleigh smiled. "You see, the king and queen had the poneglypphs especially made as adapters to keep the disruption signal up, in order to insure the weapons were permanently sealed. However, the full instruction list are in two parts, you have one of the parts already."

"The book." Conan pulled out the book. "What is this book, Rayleigh-san?"

"Why, that is none other than the queen's diary." The detective looked at him in surprise. "Amazon Lilly used to be a safe haven of the Void Century to train, live, give borth, and served as a shelter for women with particular health needs. It was said that Calypso herself blessed this island. You have the first half of the instructions in that book; it will tell you where the device is located, and how to activate it; but don't turn it on, until you've read the second half."

"In the king's diary." Conan finished.

"Exactly." The old pirate nodded.

"Rayleigh-san, can you not translate this?" Conan asked carefully.

"At the time, we had contracted an archeologist from Ohara that was hiding from a Navy admiral, you can guess which one." The old pirate put on a frown.

"Then Nico Olivia-san…confirmed what the poneglpyhs at the time." The detective said, feeling stupid for not making such an obvious connection.

"We offered her shelter until the Navy's interest in her faded, but she declined and went her own way after we paid her." Rayleigh replied. "After seeing Nico Robin from Luffy-kun's crew, I now understand why Olivia-san was on the run. Quite a predicament."

"Aokiji-san loved that woman." The pirate turned to the detective in surprise; the little boy narrowed his eyes. "I know pirates and marines don't get along, but…don't talk about things you don't know Rayleigh-san. I won't speak ill of Olivia-san, but…I respectfully ask that you not say anything to anyone about this either. That admiral…truly loved her."

"Never thought I'd see you stick up for the Navy after what Akainu put you through." The detective blinked at that comment. "While I changed your bandages, I saw the burn on your neck. It's most likely going to stay with you for the rest of your life. The admiral betrayed the only woman he loved for the sake of 'Absolute Justice', I wonder if he'd even care for Robin if he had known at the time."

"Don't say that!" Conan exclaimed. "I don't care what Akainu-san did to me! It had nothing to do with Aokiji-san, nor his relationship with Nico-san!" Conan took a breath to calm down. "Aokiji-san's a shady character with twisted reasoning but…when I confronted him about Nico-san, he changed into a regretful man that will always remember his lover's blood on his hands. So please…don't speak lightly of this. Besides…this isn't your secret or your business; keep it to yourself."

After looking at the detective, Rayleigh gave a sigh. "You're right. I'm just still sore and bitter about my captain, pay me no mind." He took a large gulp of rum. "Well, back to the device, you need to find the king's diary before you can go to the Void Ruins."

"Fine." Conan sighed, not liking the idea of another island. He was running out of time! "Which island?"

"You'll be delighted at how convenient it is, actually." The detective's ears quirked in interest. "It's hidden on Fishman Island."

"Fishman Island?" Conan frowned, remembering one of Whitebeard's division commanders, as well as Keimi and Hachi. "There's a whole island of those people?"

"Eh, there is." The older man nodded. "It's located below the Red-Line."

"Right below Mariejois." Conan's eyes widened.

"Indeed. There's a direct passageway that a certain ancient ship knows, and will guide you to Void Ruins automatically. I believe you researched this ship at Marineford, and it is not only the largest and greatest ship ever made, it served the king and queen to the very end. I believe you know what I'm talking about." Rayleigh smiled.

"Noah." Conan frowned when he thought of the ancient ship. "How do you expect me to operate it?"

"I don't. But something tells me that an opportunity will present itself to you." He sipped his rum. "So, do you know what you need to do?"

"I suppose." The detective frowned. "But what about the diaries? I need to find Nico-san to translate them."

"Actually…there is one other person in the world that can translate them. She's a very beautiful young girl, locked away in a castle. The power to understand any language through the lyrics of life." Rayleigh chuckled. "She won't be easy to get to, but she's essential before you head to the Void Ruins."

"Who is this girl?" Conan asked.

"Princess Shirahoshi of Fishman Island. She's the only daughter of King Neptune, located at his grand palace!" Rayleigh cheered.

'Is he drunk?' Conan thought with a sweatdrop; this universe held many people he couldn't read. "I see. So basically, I hit two birds with one stone this way. By going to Shirahoshi-san, I avoid going back the pirates and revolutionaries, and have a secret way to get back into Mariejois."

"Exactly! You really are good at deductions!" Rayleigh smiled.

"Okay. So how do you propose we get there? Are you coming with us?" Conan asked.

"Nope." The old pirate's reply surprised the detective. "I have other business to attend to, but I promise to meet you, Luffy, and that little Amazonian there. Also, don't try to ditch Luffy-kun, it won't work."

"I wasn't planning on it." Conan sighed; at this point he needed as many allies as possible. "So how are we getting there? I doubt Hancock-san is providing us a ship."

"Oh, your ride's on its way. I'll see you off, and meet you at the Void Ruins in exactly three days." Rayleigh smiled.

Conan's eyes widened. "I've wasted a whole day sleeping…I'm running out of time." Conan ran a hand over his face in agitation.

"Take one of the pills if you need to." Rayleigh frowned.

"I already wasted one by throwing it into that damned geyser; it was the only thing powerful enough to take us up. Now I only have three left." Conan was cursing his stupidity.

"Then you better get a move on." Rayleigh frowned.

"Ah. Our ride's waiting for us at the beach already right?" He got a nod in reply. "Then let's get Luffy-san and Marguerite-san and get going."

"Roger." He raised his glass.

**Throne Room**

If there was any evidence that the mythological Medusa ever existed, he just found proof beyond reasonable doubt. Only, she wasn't hideous with live snakes coming out of her hair, her gorgeous, luxurious black hair; she also didn't have green skin or black eyes. No, she was hands down, the most beautiful woman Conan had ever seen in his life. He honestly felt guilty for feeling this way, but those legs, those breasts, that waist, her skin, her hair, her eyes, were somehow cut-out of a top-notch fashion magazine and placed on one body. She was beautiful, there was no getting around that. But from the way she, and every woman in the throne room was looking at him, told the small detective, that this very well might be the last woman he might ever see again.

"So…" Her voice broke though his thoughts. "You're the little chimp that thought he had right to put his hands on me."

"Er…" Conan sweat-dropped as he remembered how they met. "Believe me ma'm, that was the last thing I intended."

"I'm sure." Conan turned to an extremely tall and fat woman; she had long brown lochs that simulated a Valkyrie, and wore a bikini that desperately needed to be bigger. "I am Hancock Marigold, the youngest of the Boa sisters; you have some nerve boy."

"Indeed, just what are your intentions here?" The detective turned to another very tall woman, but the biggest feature was her head, she had the face of a snake, green hair, but at least her bikini fit properly. "I am Boa Sandersonia, the second oldest of the Boa sisters, just what were you intending, if not to defile our sister?"

"Didn't Luffy-san and Marugiereite-san tell you the story?" Conan asked.

"They did." Sandersonia nodded. "However, they also pointed out that you were the one that threw the pill in the water, causing it shoot up like a projectile. So it's obvious that there is no one to blame here but you."

"I was desperate for an escape, there was no other way out." Conan's eye twitched. "It's not my fault you guys didn't excavate your island properly, and put in the right passages to avoid such awkward moments. Didn't you ladies ever wonder how you got such perfect hot water?"

"This island was blessed by Calypso herself." Marigold spoke up. "We have no need to desecrate her sacred land."

"As such, whatever relic you pulled out of the sight you found is property of Amazon Lilly, and as such, property of mine!" Hancock spoke up loud and clear. "Let me be clear, the only reason why you are alive, because my beloved has vouched for you, and that you have brought my attention that a man from the outside world is harassing one of my warriors. However, this doesn't excuse theft; especially from the original grounds of Amazon Lilly. Now hand it over!"

"Normally I'd be glad to, but I kind of need it." Conan scratched the back of his head sheepishly. 'Not to mention, I gave it to Rayleigh-san ahead of time because I knew this would happen. I hope he kept his word by hiding it somewhere on our escape ship.'

"What could you possibly need it for?" Hancock demanded.

"I can't tell you. Even if I did, you wouldn't believe me." Conan answered honestly. He really wished Rayleigh was with him; speaking of company, where were Luffy and Marguerite? "Hey, where are Luffy-san and Marguerite-san?"

"None of your concern." Marigold glared.

"It is my concern." Conan sighed. "I don't have time to explain my story to people who are too thick-headed to believe it anyways; I'm in a hurry, I need this diary, Marguerite-san will return it to you when I'm done with it. So stay the hell out of my way!"

The three women stared at him in astonishment. Conan took deep breaths, he didn't know where that came from; but he could not afford to lose the diary. He was so close to home, but he was running out of time; he had to get moving. "If I let you take the relic, it will be returned?" Hancock spoke up.

"Eh. I need it for something, I can't tell you what, but…all I can promise is that it will be returned to you." Conan stood straight.

"You can't tell me?" Hancock stared down at him.

"No, miss, I can't." The detective replied.

"Sister?" The two younger Boa sisters couldn't believe their sister was even considering this boy's words. Had she not forgotten the filthy act he did?

Very slowly, the snake empress stood up and then… "HAH!" Conan stared at the woman's strange casting down pole, she had the pose and body of a professional gymnast. "Fool…you think you, a man, has right to take an act or say in Amazon Lilly? Personally, I think you should just be tossed in the ocean, but Marguerite-san insists that you'll be useful, and Luffy-kun has vouched for your innocence. BUT!" She stood upright. "Make no mistake! The book is the property of Amazon Lilly, you tarnish it in any way, I will kill you!"

"Sister? Are you sure it's alright?" The green sister asked.

"OF COURSE! My beauty says so…" Her eyes sparkled, and a snake with a skull on its head slithered. "This book is to be returned in a week; Marguerite is to destroy this Rob Lucci, and my beloved is to returned unharmed. Should you deceive any of us, or lead Luffy a stray, I will personally hunt you down. Is that clear?"

"Crystal." Conan replied.

"Very good." Hancock turned to her guards. "Let them in, we need to see them off properly."

"AH!" The doors were swung open, and out stepped Marguerite, Rayleigh, and Luffy with wide grins on their faces. Hancock stared at the rubber boy adoringly. "We have the supplies you asked for on the ship, Luffy-kun."

"Marguerite, don't embarrass Amazon Lilly." Marigold spoke.

"Indeed; skin that good for nothing cat alive." Sandersonia added.

"I will." The blonde bowed deeply to Hancock. "The pride of Amazon Lilly rests with me, I promise I won't let you down, empress!"

"Good." Hancock nodded.

"So…you all ready then?" Rayleigh smiled.

"Saa... to FISHMAN ISLAND!" Luffy's cheer could be heard through the whole hall.

**Okay...don't freak out at me! I know there will be a lot of concerns about this plot development, but trust me I'll tread lightly. I'll be featuring Drecken as the main antagonist in the chapters, Hody may or may not even show up. If there's any fighting, I promise nothing will be permanently damaged. Please PM or review if you have any comments, questions, or concerns.**


	34. Where the Sea takes Us

**Hey guys! I almost didn't post this weekend die to writer's block, but at the verge of darkness, an idea of light popped into my head! So anyways, Conan and Luffy's gang arrive at Fishman Island, and Luffy finds out the Conan knows Ace; predict what you will from that, but read to find out. They also reunite with encounters that Conan met fairly early on, and actually end up in Ryugu palace. Now, I want to remind everyone that Hody Jones most likely won't make an appearance; yes, he's the main villain of Fishman Island, but that's also why I want to avoid him. It's too early. I'm also having trouble about deciding where the King's diary should be found. If you guys have ideas or requests about where I hide it, please let me know. Lastly, they run into one of the oldest One Piece villains. So read, enjoy, review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed**

Conan stared at into the window of his room in anticipation; this ship was fast, they had left as soon as their ride had arrived, but time was running out. Jinbe had promised they'd make it there by dawn at the latest, but even then, Conan couldn't sleep. He turned to the Strawhat captain, who had become his cabin mate due to lack of rooms; he had to admit, the carefree snoring of the rubber boy was quite soothing. He found it funny that out of all the Strawhat pirates he had encountered, he'd be seeing the end of his journey with him. Maybe destiny did have an odd way of existing. Getting up from the hammock, he quietly crept out of the room and went onto the main deck. It was a beautiful night sky, with a blanket of stars over them; another thing he'd never find in his universe…there were never this many stars. He sat down, and wrapped a blanket around himself; it wasn't that cold…but it was oddly comforting.

"You should sleep." Conan turned to the man who had graciously offered them a ride.

"Ah. Sorry. Am I disturbing you, Jinbe-san?" Conan asked.

"No, but fishman are much sturdier than humans; we don't need as much sleep." He replied.

"You don't say." The detective frowned. In all honesty, this was the first time they had really talked; he had seen Jinbe, and Rayleigh introduced him, but Jinbe didn't introduce himself. The detective boy wasn't stupid, he knew the fishman didn't like him. "What's Fishman Island like, Jinbe-san?"

"You'll see when we get there." He huffed.

"Okay…could you tell me about Shirahoshi-san?" Conan asked.

"She's King Neptune's daughter, and the youngest of his children; it would do you well to be on your best behavior. Do know if you go into her room, no one will vouch for you. She's considered the treasure of Fishman Island, and the greatest treasure of our beloved king." Jinbe replied.

"Thanks, how about her personality?" Conan twitched.

"Why do you want to know that?" He asked suspiciously.

"Well…since I'm going to meet her, I might as well get a good idea of what kind of person I might be talking to." The detective answered. "Didn't Rayleigh-san say why I needed to meet with her?"

"Yes, but I want to hear it from you. I want to see if you actually have the guts to tell the truth." He gruffed.

"Excuse me?" Conan frowned.

"You heard me. Let's be clear about one issue with each other: I don't care how ridiculous the truth is, I still want to hear it. I will tolerate no lies or deceit from you." At this point, the Fishman turned his head enough to look into the boy's eyes. "Rayleigh-san is desperate to avoid this conflict, but frankly, I think it's inevitable. If it hadn't been Ace-san, it would've been Luffy-kun, or someone else. The only thing Rayleigh told me was that you were a trustworthy person who needed help translating some old text. So, you have the choice of telling me the truth, or being sold out to Body Jones on Fishman Island once we get there." Wind blew between the two males. "I don't like the fact that you dragged so many good men and women into this, but I'm even more uneasy with Luffy-kun's involvement in this. So, with that, there's no way I'd allow some human child that I barely know approach Ryuugu palace. I won't allow you to progress further until you tell me the truth."

"A noble stance to take." The detective put his hands in his pockets. "You say that you'll accept any ridiculous truth? Please, even I barely accept the truth of the situation I'm in right now."

"Either tell me, or become a fishman slave." Jinbe replied firmly.

"I understand your paranoia Jinbe-san, but I'm in no position to say it, nor do I particularly wish to discuss it with anyone." The detective replied. "As for the idea of becoming someone's slave, I'll simply bust out of Fishman Island and go to the Void Ruins anyways. If I die, I refuse to allow it to be at the hands of some random bastard."

"What makes you think you'll die?" That statement certainly caught the fishman off guard.

"Because my health's deteriorating to the point where I only have three days to live, I have this entire planet riding my ass, and I'm currently reflecting on what I'm considering fantasy vs. reality." Conan explained. "If you truly desire an explanation, I'll give you one to the best of my ability. I was kidnapped because I pissed off the wrong people, got chased out of Marineford because I refused to find One Piece, and am currently trying to find a way to translate two ancient diaries because they're my only way home and solution to this damned mess I'm in. What do you think so far?"

"As hard as it is to believe a child like yourself went through all that, your face and body language indicate truth. Continue." Jinbe nodded.

Surprised, the detective continued. "I…believe it or not, I'm actually a detective, and my dream is to be the world's greatest detective. In saying that, I help people who are either being harassed by people, or solve crimes, catching the correct criminal. Eventually, this job lead me to the Black Organization, which eventually lead me here. They kidnapped me, and sold me off the to the Navy. But due to my uncooperative stance on finding One Piece, as well as refusing to go along with this war, I was targeted by pirates, marines, and revolutionaries. They all are like you, suspicious, paranoid morons who see no way around bloodshed. So that's what I'm trying to do…I'm trying to get home, as well as make sure this world doesn't go to hell. What do you think now Jinbe-san?" Conan didn't realize this, but his hands were clenched, and tears had started streaming unintentionally. Damn it! Why was he being so damned emotional?

"I see." Jinbe's voice snapped him out of it. "While you're not telling me everything…that honest explanation is enough to make me trust you. Thank you for your sincerity, and I apologize for pushing you. Fishman and humans have always had a tough relationship, so when Rayleigh had informed me of all you had done, as well as what you had to do to get there…I wasn't sure what to think."

"If Rayleigh-san already told you, then that means you were just trying to gage me yourself." Conan rpelied sharply.

"I need to know what kind of person I'm bringing to Fishman Island, especially because you'll be meeting princess Shirahoshi." The older man explained.

"So I'm now approved to meet her?" The detective frowned.

"Huh…" Jinbe sighed, he truly offended the boy. "Long ago, there was a man named Fisher Tiger, he scaled the Red Line wall and freed every single slave from Mariejois, both fishman and human. He was a good man, he hated humans; the Tenryuubito aren't the only ones who have treated us unfairly. Humans have been continuously been claiming our territory and abducting us into the slave market since the Void Century. While my bitterness is understandable, it was by no means placed well in this case. I apologize."

"It's fine, I apologize too. I was too tense, and I'm irritated beyond hell at the moment." The younger male responded. "So about Shirahoshi-san…what should I expect exactly?"

"She's actually a very quiet, docile, and well-mannered girl who'd be more than happy to help you." Jinbe replied. "However, there are a few things you need to be aware of: one- I can't get you in to see her, you need to sneak in on your own. Two: she has guards scaling the entire area of her room, sneaking in won't be easy. Three: she hasn't been outside the palace in ten years, in fact, she's secluded in her own tower."

"…You're kidding right?" Conan stared at him in disbelief, resisting the urge to bring up Disney princess parodies. "Why has she been isolated for so long?"

"That's a long story…" Jinbe sighed and looked at the boy carefully. "Since you shared your story with me, I'll share my story with you. When I was a young man, I was captain of the Sun Pirates, before that I served under the great man of Fisher Tiger. When I got out of both those positions, I held a great contempt and distrust for humans. In my childhood, adolescence, and even early adulthood I held extreme hatred towards the surface species that had caused my race so much pain."

"What made yo change your mind?" Conan asked.

"Whitebeard, Fisher Tiger, and several other great men, however…I may be a reformed man, but I will always be loyal to certain people; including his majesty, Neptune. So please don't repeat this to anyone." Jinbe explained. Conan gave a respectful nod and allowed the older man to continue. "King Neptune is a noble man, who places his people above himself, and loves his family more than anything; which is why you need to be extremely cautious in sneaking around the palace. Ten years ago, his wife, Queen Otohime was shot by a human on the island."

The detective's eyes shot wide open when he heard that, the wind blew fiercely. "What?"

"Eh. A few days prior to her death, a Tenryubito came to the island and was picking out new slaves; one of the islanders got fed up and attempted to murder him, but it was stopped by Otohime-sama." Jinbe gripped the steering wheel. "She was as kind as she was beautiful; with her grace and passion, she managed to persuade the Tenryubito to allow to go to Mariejois to draft up a peace agreement, that stated that Fishman and humans were equals and to be at peace. Otohime-sama's family waited for weeks for her return, and only to have her returned and watch her peace decree burn, and then be shot a moment later. Ever since then, Neptune as well as every person on Fishman Island has basically flat-out forbidden humans to come onto the island, or at the very least, encourage them to leave. Neptune treasures his kids deeply, the crown princes Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi, and Manboshi all love and are deeply loyal to their family; however each of them see the princess Shirahoshi as their treasure. She's the last living memoir to the late queen, and as you know, has extraordinary ability. So please take care to understand the tension of the situation."

"Will do." Conan nodded. "Thanks for telling me this. Is Shirahoshi-san's language ability really that sought after?"

"Eh. It is." The fishman replied hesitantly.

"If that's the case, how do you expect the three of us to get in? This place sounds pretty exclusive even to Fishman." The detective pointed out.

"It is. Getting the three of you in won't be easy, and Marguerite-chan's never left Amazon Lilly, so conduct will be an issue for her." The old fishman agreed.

"What about Luffy-san?" Conan asked.

"If you give him food, he'll stay in one place at least." The older man answered. "We'll be at the docks of Fishman Island by morning, the three of you are to stay by my side without straying. Do I make myself clear?"

"No need to tell me twice." Conan nodded. "So the plan is…we stick with you?"

"Eh. I can get the three of you into the banquet hall, but you're on your own after that. I don't care how you do it, but remember…I can't go with you any further. You, Luffy, and the girl will be on your own, keep that in mind." Jinbe warned.

"Anything I should be aware of?" Conan asked.

"…Stay away from Otohime-sama's grave,and also if you see anyone involved with a man named Dreken or Hody Jones, get the hell out of there. Got it?" Jinbe asked.

"Got it. I'll relay the message to Luffy-san and Marguerite-san." The detective nodded.

"No!" The fishman responded. "Luffy will rush into a fight! And I don't know what that girl will do! I don't want a war between Amazon Lilly and Fishman Island! Are we clear?"

"…Good point." Conan couldn't help but agree, they'd figure out a real game plan once they got there.

**Morning**

After managing to get five measly hours of sleep, Conan found himself to the mercy of a very obnoxious awakening. "WE'RE HERE! WE'RE AT FISHMAN ISLAND!" Conan literally jumped out of his hammock and was hanging form the ceiling light like a cat. Luffy's scream was enough to revive the dead. "GAHAHAHA! That's amazing! You look like a cat, Conan!"

The detective glared at the captain in annoyance. "It's your stupid fault for waking me up in such an obnoxious manner!" He let go of the light, and landed back in the hammock. "What'd you wake me up for anyways?"

"Like I said! We're at Fishman Island!" Luffy repeated happily. He grabbed The detective's arm. "Let's go! Everyone's waiting for you!"

"OI!" Conan then found himself dragged unceremoniously up to the deck.

"Here he is Jinbe! Up and ready!" Luffy announced proudly as he stood the sleepy detective up. Conan groaned at the sudden sunlight, he was never good with mornings, especially nights where he got limited sleep. So it was only natural that he thought was still asleep when he saw an island encased in a bubble ahead of them. But after rubbing his eyes several times, it dawned on him, he was on a ship encased in a bubble, they were underwater, and the light was coming from an artificial sun on the island.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!" Conan threw his hands on his head and was pulling hair. He couldn't take it anymore! This was too freakin' ridiculous! "How the hell are we in a bubble? Where did it come from? And that island! Is it under water or am I just dreaming at this point?"

"Would you calm down, the bubble forms naturally due the currents around Fishman Island." Jinbe replied reasonably. "Besides, my ship is naturally equipped for this sort of situation, and as for the island's natural state, didn't you already research it in Marineford?"

"Marineford?" Luffy frowned.

"Yeah, but in between then and everything I've learned so far, I kind of forgot. Not to mention, I thought an island being underwater was a joke. If you guys are fishman and hate humans, why is such an accommodation put on?" The detective asked.

"No need to turn down a good source of economy." The old pirate shrugged.

"I see." Such a simple reason, but the detective couldn't deny the simple truth in it. He turned to Marguerite, who had been silent the whole time. He twitched, she had been staring in complete awe at the ocean floor, most likely because she hadn't seen the outside of Amazon Lilly since childhood. Lucky her, she gets to sight-see and he was to worry about finding a mermaid princess. "Shall we go then?"

"CONAN-KUN!" A familiar female voice caught their attention. The detective turned and was shocked to see a familiar, green-haired mermaid. It was Keimi, Hatchen, and Pappug. She tackled him into a hug and rubbed her face into his body. "I'm so glad your safe! We were so worried about you! After you disappeared, Ace-san came and got Whitebeard-san to help us! We had no idea what happened to you!"

"Ace?" Luffy's ears perked.

"Ah! Luffy-kun! What are you doing here? And Jinbe-sama, welcome back!" Keimi bowed to the older fishman politely. And then turned to the blonde Amazonian, who was still mesmerized by the fact that she was under water. "Are you a friend of Luffy-kun?"

"Uh…yeah. What are you to Luffy-san?" Marguerite asked suspiciously.

"We're friends of Luffy." Hatchen spoke up. "I'm Hatchen, I work as a handyman, and Luffy and his crew met us back at Sabaody."

"Eh. He and his crew saved us from the Tenryuubito." Pappug concluded. "I'm Pappug, director of Criminal Clothing line, and Keimi's master."

"I see. Good to meet the two of you." Marguerite nodded. "Are you here to greet us?"

"Eh." Keimi smiled. "We weren't expecting any of you, but I'm sure King Neptune wil be thrilled to meet some of the only people who stood up to the Tenryubito."

"There's more than one?" The blonde raised a brow, as did Jinbe and turned back to the speckled boy, who looked very nervous at this point. "Explain."

"Conan-kun rescued us by sabotaging the Auction House's reopening. IT WAS SO COOL!" Keimi cheered.

"But you disappeared Conan-kun, Ace was quite unhappy about it?" Pappug frowned.

"Er…"

"Keimi-chan." Luffy spoke up, and the detective turned to the pirate captain nervously. "Was this guy's full name, Portgas D. Ace?"

"Yeah, it was." Hatchen answered for her. "How'd you know Luffy-san?"

"I don't know anyone else with the name, Ace." Luffy stretched his arm and grabbed Conan before he could escape. "You mentioned you were at Marineford too, right?"

"…Yeah." Conan nodded.

"Did you see Ace there? He's my brother." Luffy said simply. "I was heading for Marineford with Jinbe to save Ace, but Hancock told us that someone already busted him out. Was that you?"

"…Yes." Conan knew lying wasn't going to get him anywhere at this point. But instead of being interrogated further, he suddenly felt himself in a bone-crushing hug.

"YATTA! I KNEW YOU WERE A GOOD PERSON!" Luffy gave him a cheery grin. The pirate captain held the confused boy out in front of him. "Conan may keep secrets from us, but he's got good reason!"

"You saved Ace-san?" Jinbe asked skeptically. While he heard the news from Rayleigh, the boy's appearance made it hard to believe.

"Yeah." Conan nodded, still shocked at Luffy's reaction.

"I see. Then I apologize for doubting you, Edogawa-san." Marguerite did a respectful bow.

"Ah, no…you had every right to be suspicious." The detective reassured them.

"So how'd you do it? Was Ace hurt when you guys escaped? Did you run into Gramps?" Luffy asked eagerly.

"How about we discuss these things over at the Ryuugu palace, Neptune's expecting us, and has prepared a feast." Jinbe informed them.

"YATTA! To Ryuugu Palace!" Luffy cheered.

"Can we come?" Keimi asked.

"I don't see why not. King Neptune will want each of your testaments as well." Jinbe replied.

**3hrs Later**

Contrary to what Jinbe had believed they would receive, they had been detained and were now in the main throne room. They weren't tied up, but Conan was nervous due to the fact that he, Marguerite, and Luffy were the only ones that needed a bubble to breathe down here. The pirate captain and Amazonian didn't seem fazed, and were ready to fight, but Jinbe looked very nervous.

"What's going on Jinbe-san?" Conan asked.

"I'm not sure." The fishman frowned. Suddenly, a great, muscular merman with a red, bushy beard came out. He was easily as big as Whitebeard, and had several various merpeople with him. He noted that Keimi, Hatchan, Jinbe, and Pappug all bowed deeply to him. Marguerite and Luffy stood there neutrally, while Conan did a slight bow to be polite. "King Neptune, I wasn't expecting this kind of greeting, old friend."

"It's nothing personal Jinbe, in fact, I hate to be doing this to all of you." The sea royal sighed.

"Oi! Don't talk about things we don't know! Who are you?" Luffy demanded.

"Luffy-kun!" Pappug hissed.

Neptune turned his attention towards the three humans in his palace and back to Jinbe. "Which one is the detective?"

"The smallest one." Jinbe frowned. "What are you intending Neptune?"

"Something that I have no choice on, Jinbe." He sighed and turned his attention fully to the humans. "Before I explain what's going on here, allow me to introduce myself. I am King Neptune, king of Fishman Island, and protector of this kingdom. These are my sons, Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi, and Manboshi; they are the strongest generals in my army and I am proud to call them my sons. My family is the most important thing to me, next to my kingdom, so please be understanding about the position I'm in." The fishman nodded their heads respectively.

"What are you getting at?" Conan frowned.

"I assume your Edogawa Conan-kun?" He looked down at the speckled boy. "And these people are?"

"Marguerite, Amazonian warrior." The blonde woman spoke neutrally.

"Monkey D. Luffy, captain of the Strawhats!" The pirate boy declared.

"An interesting set of allies you've obtained detective. The greatest of the Supernovas, and a representative of the exclusive Amazon Lilly. I've heard a great deal about you, detective; but in meeting you, I can't say I'm impressed." Neptune said.

"Well, I guess I need to drink milk then." Conan twitched. "So why the hostility exactly?"

"SHASHASHASHA!" A loud laugh got everyone's attention. Turning around, the detective saw a fairly large, muscular fishman, with blue skin, long brown hair, and a saw nose. Narrowing his eyes at the newcomer, it didn't take long to figure out that some in his group knew this man.

"It can't be…" Conan turned to the octopus fishman, who was trembling badly. "I-I heard admiral Kizaru captured you. W-Why are you out?" Jinbe glared, while Keimi and Pappug hid behind the experienced sea lord fearfully. But that was nothing compared to Luffy.

The pirate cpatian had his fists clenched, his teeth were showing, and his eyes held pure contempt and rage. "You…"

"SHASHASHA! That's right Strawhat I'm back! Saw-Toothed Arlong is back!" The saw-toothed bastard bore his teeth proudly.

**Yep! Arlong's back! Now I know he was captured early on by Kizaru, his release will be explained in the next chapter. Review and PM like always!**


	35. Between the Lines

**Ugh...my brain's hitting a snag with this island. Part of why I'm having trouble is because this island will actually take about five chapters, instead of the normal two or three. This is the last bit of plot development before the Void Ruins, and pretty much everything will be explained. I can't decide about what direction to go with this island, but I pretty much have decided to have Conan reveal everything to Luffy and the group's he's with, in the next chapter. Also, after careful consideration, I've decided to add one Black Organization character during the Void Ruins arc. I'll decide which one, based on readers' choices. For fair warning, I will probably kill the guy off, haven't decided yet. Also, I haven't decided where to put the freakin' diary on Fishman Island! Give me some ideas people! So, read, enjoy, review!  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed  
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"Your highness, what's going on?" Jinbe actively shielded the lesser sea beings behind him. Hatchan held Keimi as best as he could, shielding her from the predator's sight, while Pappug cowered in the mermaid's arms. "What's he doing here?"

"SHASHASHA! Looks like you haven't changed a bit captain." Arlong smirked.

"Bastard! What are you doing here?" Luffy demanded.

"You haven't changed a bit either, Strawhat. I've been meaning to pick the gill I have with yah. But…that'll have to wait." His eyes turned to the anxious detective. "Your Conan Edogawa, I assume." Luffy got in front o the detective instantly. "Relax, I can't kill him yet, otherwise my probation gets reversed.

"Probation?" Marguerite repeated.

"Yeah. Apparently, some human kid stirred things up so much, that the World Government's pissing their pants over it! This hilarious! A human child's making those upper-division bastards sweat like the pigs they are! You look more pitiful than I imagined!" He laughed. "The old bat said, all I had to do was bring him to a meeting point, and I'd be free. What a bargain eh?"

"So Tsuru-san let you out of Impel Down?" Conan growled.

"Yep! Glad you know the shit you're in brat! Saa…let's get going then." He stepped forward, only to have Marguerite come to Conan's side as well. Arlong laughed. "I wasn't aware that Boa Hancock did charity work."

"Urusai! Don't you dare talk about the empress that way!" Marguerite shouted.

"SHASHASHA! Whatever…well kid, I'm told you're smart, and you know that with or without devil fruits, humans can't breathe underwater. Cooperate, and I won't pop this giant bubble, and you'll be transported safely. Don't cooperate, and the three of you drown, and those traitors behind you won't have it any better off." Arlong smirked. "Well…?"

"What does all of this have to do with taking control of the palace?" Conan narrowed his eyes, something wasn't right here.

"Oh that's the hilarious part! I just thought that Fishman Island needed a change of pace, humans are our enemy and that needs to be properly established! Unfortunately, Hody's off the island conducting business elsewhere, but for my intents and purposes I don't need him." Arlong explained.

"You didn't answer my question." Conan glared.

"Oh yeah! The World Government also mentioned something about a book you had. They want it pretty bad, so here's what I figure. Why take Fishman Island, when I can take the world! SHASHASHA!" He laughed.

'Damn! They beat us here! Donflamingo must've told the Gorosei!' Conan twitched. "So my life for their's huh?"

"Not quite. You see, I'm not as stupid as you might think." Arlong smirked. "I know that old book's written in a language I can't read, so…the princess should come in very handy."

"The princess…?" Jinbe repeated.

"ARLONG! THIS WASN'T THE AGREEMENT! THE AGREEMENT WAS: IF THE DETECTIVE WAS BROUGHT TO YOU, THEN SHIRAHOSHI WOULD BE RELEASED!" Neptune boomed.

"Shirahoshi?" Jinbe exclaimed. "What's the meaning of this?"

'That explains it, the princess has been captured. But…' The action, no matter how convenient it seemed, didn't fit. What possible reason would Arlong expose himself this confidently to his group, without fear of retribution? Not to mention, Arlong really didn't strike Conan as the type to be merciful; if he had a beef with Luffy (from the looks of it, he did) Arlong most likely would kill him and Marguerite without hesitation. Frowning, Conan had to think of something; if he got separated from them now, there was no telling how they'd meet up again. Taking a breath, Conan stepped out in front to face the saw-toothed man. "Arlong-san." He got the Fishman's attention. "You made a deal with Tsuru-san, to get out of prison?"

"Yeah, what about it?" He smirked.

"My, my…how the mighty have fallen." Conan gave a confident smirk, remembering research he had done on Fisher Tiger. "Is this how you avenge your captain- making bad deals with humans?"

At this, Arlong's grin turned into a frown. "What?"

"You heard me. About twenty years ago, Fisher Tiger broke into Mariejois in order to free all the Fishman slaves, but also freed the humans. I'm not sure of the the specific details, but I do know Tiger-san is dead, and was killed by the very humans he helped." He noticed Arlong's glare shift towards Jinbe, and quickly responded. "Don't get me wrong, this is all theory on my part. I merely researched Fisher Tiger-san while I was at Marineford, and simply guessed what happened to him, based on his disappearance time. It mentioned the crew he lead, the Sunny Pirates, and your name just happened to be on there; or are you going to deny you were apart of his crew?"

"Don't screw with me brat, I was proud to be apart of Fisher Tiger crew. He was great man, a great captain; done in by you damned humans." He growled.

"You hate humans Arlong-san?" Bingo- a weakness he can exploit!

"Of course! You humans, are inferior to us in every way! We're faster, better, stronger, smarter, yet you humans have the gall to think you can enslave us and us your tools! Otohime was a fool for thinking humans and merman can get along! Just as that spoiled princess is, and you Jinbe!" ARlong declared.

"YOU!" Without warning, Manboshi charged the Saw-tooted man. "Don't you dare insult our mother and sister!"

"MANBOSHI!" The strike was obvious and instant, and Conan flinched at the look of Arlong's saw-toothed sword; combined with his teeth, it looked flat-out menacing. Manboshi fell to the ground, bleeding. Neptune was at his son's side in a instant, guards and the other princes held their weapons at Arlong.

Conan noted the look of regret on the saw-toothed merman. "I really don't want to harm my fellow merman, but…there are bigger threats I have to consider. This island's become too soft, and even with Otoshime's death, humans are still being allowed in."

"Arlong!" Jinbe shouted. "This is how you want to honor Fisher Tiger, by putting this entire island in jeopardy?"

"You were one of the biggest disappointments Jinbe; you turned yourself into a government dog for nothing. I'm ashamed to have called you my superior at one point." Arlong replied.

"You bastard!" Luffy yelled. "Come in this bubble and fight like a man!"

"Oh, I intend to." He smirked and stepped forward.

"I have a better idea." Conan interjected. "Arlong-san, you would be willing to say confidentially, that Fishman are better than humans in every way, correct?"

"Of course! I've already said that, didn't I?" He smirked.

"Good. So a simple match of Shogi, wouldn't be any threat to you at all, would it?" Conan smirked confidentially. "You know how to play Shogi, correct?"

"O-Of course I know how to play!" Arlong rebutted. "Just an unusual last-request is all!"

"Maybe, but would you be able to say you could beat in any human at any game?" Conan asked.

"Of course! Fishman are superior in every way!" Arlong yelled.

"Conan-kun…" Marguerite frowned, wondering where this was going.

"Great! So I'll make you a deal then!" The boy smiled. "We play Shogi in our own separate bubble, that way no one can interrupt us. If I win, you let me, Luffy, and Marguerite find an area where there's breathable air, and if I lose, then you can take me to where ever you wish. My only condition if I lose is: Marguerite and Luffy are still given a fair chance."

"That's quite a set of terms; what makes you think I'll keep any of them?" The vicious man rose a brow.

"Simple. By stating you're overall superiority, you claim that even if Marguerite-san, Luffy-san, and I were to be given a chance to escape onto dry land, or any dry surface of this island- you'd win anyways due to your overall superiority. By taking me, you not only show your intelligence over me, but you also show Luffy-san and Marguerite-san how little of threats they are to you." The speckled boy explained calmly.

"Edogawa-kun…" Jinbe was amazed.

"Hmm…" Arlong rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "What about Jinbe, and the others behind you?"

"Ah. Regarding them and the royal palace, I really don't have much control over what you do there. However…don't you think, shedding weak or unnecessary innocent, Fishman blood is useless?" Conan pointed out. "Hachi-san may have left your crew, and Keimi-san and Pappug-san may be friendly towards humans, but are they really a threat to you in any way? I can understand your unease towards Jinbe-san, however…you don't strike me as a man that would hurt a former comrade. Am I wrong?"

"Tch! I suppose not. Fine…I'll tell my men that Jinbe, Keimi, and Hachi aren't to be harmed until after I deal with you. As for the palace, it'll be my new stronghold!" He smirked.

"Really? You want to harass a good family while they're in turmoil? Isn't it bad enough that you brought up a family-tragedy; the Queen of Fishman Island, no less? Really Arlong-san…just how much of a weak barbarian are you?" Conan smirked at the boiling fishman.

"Oh yeah…how's it benefit me if the palace is released?" Arlong was sure Conan wouldn't have an answer for this.

"Simple. There's no point in declaring this island's yours until you have corpses to present is there? This place would only tie you down and make you an obvious target." Seeing the confusion in the fishman's eyes, Conan explained. "Let me elaborate; do you really think Tsuru-san or the rest of the Navy will keep their word on your release?" That statement made Arlong double-back; he looked like he was caught in a ship's headlights. "Exactly. Don't stay in a place where'd they obviously look."

"ERRR….FINE! I don't need this stinkin' palace! I'll make my own castle!" He turned to the guards. "SET EVERYTHING WE NEED FOR OUR SHOGI MATCH!" He was so pissed! How dare this human child defy and humiliate him like this? In seconds, a bubble, table, game board, and chairs were set up. "Let's go!"

Conan nodded and went to step out of the bubble, only to be grabbed by Luffy. "I won't let this bastard hurt you, all right! Just keep him busy long enough for us to come up with a plan!"

"We'll be here, waiting for you." Marguerite nodded her head. Conan looked to merman in his group, and they all giving him confident and grateful smiles.

Conan couldn't stop his own from spreading. "Thanks." Waiting for the bubble to engulf his body, he separated himself from the main body and joined Arlong, in the other large bubble. He sat down at the seat with the black pieces. He stares at Arlong form across the table. "White goes first, Fishman-sama."

"Heh." Without another word, the Shogi match began.

**With Luffy-tachi**

As the group watch the Shogi battle go on, Luffy spoke. "Conan's bought us some time to come up with a plan!"

"Indeed; I truly underestimated that small male." Marguerite nodded. "We need to take this opportunity to come up with a strategy. Jinbe-sama, you know this palace that best of all of us, where are areas that Luffy and I can breathe?"

"Hmmm…our best bet would be the Gyoncorde Plaza; it's the commercial district, and all of us would be able to move freely there. However, getting there is an issue in itself at the moment." Jinbe sighed and turned to Neptune, who was engulfed in the Shogi match. "Your Highness."

"Yes Jinbe?" He asked.

"We need to get Luffy and Marguerite to a dry area. Conan-kun's bought us some time, we need to take this opportunity to come up with a plan. Now, what is going on, your highness?" The shichibukai implored.

"…Yesterday, one of the Navy admirals and the Shichibukai came to Fishman Island, with Arlong in tow. In just two hours, Shirahoshi went missing. In order to make sure no harm came to her, we were forced to do what they said. I'm sorry, but for the sake of my daughter, your sacrifices are what's necessary." The king sighed.

"A navy admiral's here?" Hachi finally spoke up.

"Why? What's another Shichibukai and an Admiral doing here?" Pappug demanded.

"We don't know." Fukaboshi spoke up. "This was all such a shock to us."

"I see. So after the intruders came into the island, they took over." Marguerite deduced.

"Is Madam Shyrly all right?" Keimi asked.

"As far as we know." Said Ryuboshi

"It doesn't matter!" Luffy spoke up. "Conan doing his best to help us, we've got to help him!"

"Agreed." Marguerite nodded and then noticed something. "Hey…is that giant shark with the dog collar, tame?"

**With Conan**

The detective stared secretly at the people behind him, hoping desperately they were coming up with a plan. He could only prolong this shogi game for so long; this moron seriously sucked. His attention was snapped back to the game when Arlong moved another piece. Conan twitched at the obvious move, this was getting annoying. "So Arlong-san, what made you become a pirate?"

"Couldn't imagine another life." He replied.

"I see. What spurred the universal hatred of humans?" Conan moved another piece.

"Tch. Like you don't know. Fishman ave been the victims of human slavery since the beginning of time." Arlong answered. "Humans are nothing but scum, nothing more, sometimes less."

"Judging by that talk, I'm assuming you've enslaved your own humans?" Conan asked.

"Shasha." Arlong smirked. "You know that Strahat boy?" Conan nodded. "His navigator was my slave for eight years; she made my maps, cleaned my decks, and stole over 100 million beri to buy back her village." Conan's eyes widened, remembering what Nami told him.

"Bastard." Conan growled, surprising Arlong. "You're the one who did that to Nami-san?"

"Sha? You met her already?" Arlong laughed. "She told you about me?"

"Arlong-san…" Conan made several moves with the shogi board, and suddenly stole all of Arlong's pieces. "First of all, you suck at Shogi- a four year old could beat you. Second of all, I promise you, I'll have the greatest pleasure in utterly beating you, and third- fishman or human, anyone who enslaves anyone is scum."

"WHAT?" Without further warning, Conan aimed his watch and tazed Arlong. The fishman lit up, and fried into a fish stick and collapsed.

"CONAN!" The boy turned to the group of his companions, and the royal family.

"You guys all right?" Conan exclaimed and turned to the lankiest prince. "One of you guys help me get over to their bubble!"

"Hai!" In a few seconds, Conan was back in the main bubble. He was hugged by Luffy.

"Sugoi! Conan! You took Arlong out with one hit! It took me a bunch of pistols, kicks, and special attacks to take him down! What's your devil fruit power?" Luffy smiled.

"I used a taser." Conan replied with a sweat-drop. "I don't know how long he'll be out, but we need to come up with a plan on what to do next. Did you guys come up with any kind of plan, yet?"

"I'm afraid not." King Neptune sighed. "As you heard, my daughter's been abducted and I must do what I have to, to bring her back. So I apologize for this." He raised he Triton at the group.

"Killing us, won't satisfy the people who took your daughter; she's seen their faces and knows too much already, she'll be killed along with us. So, if you guys were just talking, what'd I miss?" Conan asked.

"We've discovered that Arlong has come here in the company of a Navy Admiral and one of the Shichibukai." Marguerite informed him.

"WHAT? Which ones?" Conan had a feeling he knew already, but he hoped he was wrong.

"It was Admiral Aokiji, and Donquixote Donflamingo of the Shichibukai." Ryuboshi spoke up.

"I see." Conan clenched his fists. "They must be after the same thing, I am."

"And what would that be?" Neptune demanded.

Sighing, Conan reached into his sack and pulled out the ancient book. "Your highness, do you know what this is?"

"T-That's the Queen's Diary!" He bellowed, the triton now fully raised. "How the hell did you get that?"

Luffy put Conan behind him. "Oi! Stop freaking out about a book, Conan didn't do anything to you! He's strong, and proved that by beating Arlong!"

"Again, all I did was taze him." Conan sighed.

"Edogawa-kun, is that the book the Empress told me about?" Marguerite asked.

"Ah. It is. I promise to return it to you, when I'm done." Conan nodded and turned back to Neptune. "If you know what this is, then I don't need to explain what I'm looking for. The King's Diary, where is it?"

"The King's Diary is one of the last and oldest relics of the Void Century, with your sudden appearance causing my daughter's abduction, what makes you think I'll trust you?" He demanded.

"Your highness." Jinbe spoke up. "I highly recommend and applaud this boy; though he keeps many secrets and lies to insure his secrets; he has never once allowed someone to fall into harm's way. He does all he can to protect the people around him. As suspicious as this looks, I promise you that this boy means no harm; and with myself and Luffy-kun, retrieving Shirahoshi-sama will be easy."

"Easy?" Conan twitched.

"How can you be so sure?" The group turned to two fishman that seemed to be administrators of some kind, standing to the left and right of the king. "Your highness, they're humans! And Jinbe's a Shichibukai! No doubt, having some involvement of the princesses' abduction!" The one that looked like a catfish spoke.

"Oi! We just saved you guys!" Luffy exclaimed, angry.

"And you! Strawhat Luffy! I don't know what your involvement is, but these ruffians took over this island, demanding custody of the detective there! Now, why and how did they even know you were coming here? Detective-boy, just what did you come here for?" The eel one demanded.

"Oi! Stop blaming Conan! This isn't his fault!" Luffy was getting angry, they were insulting his friend.

"It really isn't!" Jinbe expressed.

"Yeah! He saved us from the Auction House!" Keimi spoke up to defend him. She, Hachi, and Pappgu bowed to their king. "Please Your Highness! Whatever's happened here, isn't Conan-kun's fault! He's a good person, and risked his life to save all of the people at the Auction House!"

"Yes!" Marguerite kneeled as well. "He has earned the trust of Empress Hancock, and has proven himself to be a decent person. My empress has entrusted him with this artifact, 'The Queen's Diary'. I do not know the contents myself, but my Empress trusts him, Luffy-san trusts him, your own people trust him, and I trust him. I too, will speak on the behalf of this male."

"You're from Amazon Lilly?" Ryuboshi asked in surprise.

"Yes. It is where Conan-kun, had met up with me and Luffy-san. We meant to pass through your island, in hopes of getting to a certain area that is beneath the surface of Mariejois." Marguerite explained.

"The Void Ruins." Neptune deducted.

"Good, you're aware of it. Now-"

"That explains why you have the diaries." Neptune sighed and looked at the astonished detective in the eyes. "Now that I know your intentions, that put me at slight ease, but it doesn't change the situation my daughter's in. Unless if you come to another alternative solution, I'm afraid I'll have to trade you in."

"NO!" Luffy glared at the king. "Conan's my nakama! You mess with him, you mess with me!"

"Luffy-san…" Conan mumbled, shocked. He nakama meant in this world, and wasn't sure how to react.

Luffy turned back to him with a grin. "You saved Ace, and took out Arlong! You're more than qualified to become a part of my crew! And as my nakama, I'll protect you with my life, and fight alongside you in battle!"

"You don't even know me." The detective stated blandly. "Even if I saved Ace-san, aren't you slightly suspicious about why I kept it from you?"

"It's a secret of yours right?" Luffy asked, the detective nodded. "Then you'll tell me when you're ready!"

Conan was speechless, as was the rest of the group. Never, had Conan felt this kind of emotion when he worked on a case before. With a clenched fist, and swallowed tears he spoke up. "Neptune-san…you have every right to be suspicious of me, and it is my fault about what happened to your daughter. Aokiji-san and Donflamingo-san followed me, and intercepted me at this island. Please don't blame anyone else here for what happened to Princess Shirahoshi. However…because it was my fault that she got abducted, allow me to be the one to rectify the mistake. If you allow me your highness, I can formulate a plan that can save her, and your island. All you need to do is trust me." Conan sighed. "If Luffy-san has this much faith in me, I can't let him down. Please let me direct the efforts to rescue Shirahoshi-san."

"What makes you think you can do it?" Fukaboshi spoke up.

"Because I've dealt with worse people before, and currently fighting a much more complicated plot." Conan explained. "Now, I assume Shirahoshi-san isn't in the palace?" They shook their heads no. "Where is she being held?"

"…With the person that I least want her to be around, the bastard, Vander Decken IX!" Neptune couldn't have a more scared look on his face, even if he tried.

**Before you guys panic, no- Conan's not staying in this world! I have no intention on making him a Strawhat crew-member whatsoever, it was just in character for Luffy to say. Again, this island will probably take about five chapters; especially with Aokiji and Donflamingo to confront. Remember to vote on the Black Organization character that would best fit here in the Void Ruins, and to give me ideas where to put the King's Diary.**


	36. Mapping out the Course

**Hey guys! So not much happens in this chapter, and I decided to have Conan spill the beans about himself a bit later because, it just ended up working better for the story development, sorry. But the truth about him will come out to Luffy during this arc, I swear! The point of Fishman Island is to be the last up-hill battle, so it will be treated as such. Anyways, I've gotten several votes about who the Black Organization character will be and so far it's Gin, Vodka, and Vermouth that are in the lead. Remember, if you guys want to see someone different, vote! However, I've pretty much decided I'm going to kill him off or strand him in the One Piece world to take punishment. I've pretty much decided where to put the diary at this point, but I'm not positive about it. So anyways, read, enjoy, review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed**

Shirahoshi sniffled as she looked at her surroundings; she was not in her room, and Megalo wasn't anywhere around. Whenever she got too scared, she got suddenly sleepy and would pass out for a few hours. The only thing she knew about her location was that she wasn't in the palace, and that she was in Decken's custody. He had been nice enough to send in female fishman so far, but they always had the usual wedding proposals and announcements. She was later told that the reason why Decken hadn't seen her yet was because it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride on the wedding day. She was going to be forced to marry Decken in a matter of hours, and she felt helpless. Going into another crying fit, she once again, passed out.

**At Ryuugu Palace**

After Neptune explained to Conan about Van Decken, as well as what happened in the past with Otohime, the detective, pirate captain, and friends were shocked. After a moment, Conan spoke. "So basically, after Otohime-sama's death occurred, Princess Shirahoshi was marked by Decken-san, and has been after her for the past ten years." The king nodded. "Where I come from, he'd be classified as a pedophile."

"Believe me, we all see him that way." Manboshi sighed. "So what's your plan?"

"Well first off, Otohime-sama was murdered by another fishman, not a human. The timing wasn't right, and they wouldn't have had the connections or equipment to pull it off. It was most likely done by an extremist, like Arlong-san." Conan pointed out. "Moving on, we'll assume that she's being held captive in someplace where no one can see her, and not easily noticeable. Are you sure they haven't left the island?"

Deciding to ignore the deduction about the late queen, Fukaboshi responded. "As part of the deal, they promised to keep her on the island until further notice. As well as promising to keep her unharmed, they also promised that she would remain out of Decken's physical contact. They expect you in about two hours now."

"And it's safe to assume she's trapped in the same place as Decken-san." Conan put on a thoughtful face, and then turned to Keimi. "Keimi-san, Hachi-san, Pappug-san, do you know anyone who knows this island, inside and out?"

"I do actually!" Keimi cheered. "I work at the famous Mermaid café here, and my boss, Madam Shyarly, knows this island better than anyone!"

"Really?" Conan raised a brow.

"Yeah! She's also this island's fortune teller! She's always right!" Pappug pointed out.

"Really?" Conan sounded less enthusiastic now. Never once believing in fortune tellers since he was a kid, Conan now thought this woman was less reliable. "Well I suppose it'll have to do."

"Huh? What do you mean, Conan?" Luffy blinked.

"Here's my plan, we split up." Conan announced. "We can't panic these people, so we need to make it look like nothing conspicuous is going on."

"How do we do that? Arlong's already knocked out." Jinbe pointed out.

"I know. I go with Arlong. WAIT!" Conan put a hand up to stop the barade of objections. "Let me finish. Luffy-san somehow, comes with me; meanwhile, Marguerite-san- you go with Keimi-san, Pappgu-san, and Hachi-san to the Mermaid Café, and let your boss know what's going on. You guys will be responsible for finding the King's Diary."

"Understood." Marguerite nodded. "When should we meet? What's the designated location time?"

"Not sure, Jinbe-san. Where do you propose we meet?" Conan asked.

"Hmmm…let's agree to meet in the Sea Forest; Decken is most likely hiding there, and it's a safe bet due to its size. We'll meet by the Poneglyph. Sound good?" Jinbe asked.

"Sounds good, but the problem is Luffy-san and I don't know where that is." Conan pointed out.

"It's on the tip of the Sea Forest, you can't miss it." Jinbe replied.

"Saa...let's go! We've got a princess to save!" Luffy pointed forward.

"Hold it Luffy-san! They can't know you came along with me!" Conan exclaimed.

"I know! I've got an idea for that!" Luffy declared. The room stared at him in surprise. This guy was capable of coming up with ideas?

"What's your idea Strawhat-san" Neptune spoke up.

"That shark over there's tame, right?" Luffy pointed to the crying shark.

"Eh. That's Megalo, Shirahoshi's pet shark. He normally goes everywhere with Shirahoshi." Neptune replied. "Why?"

"He knows not to swallow people, right?" Luffy asked.

"Of course!" Fukaboshi rpelied. "He's been trained from puppy-hood to be friendly towards allies, and deadly towards foes. What is your idea exactly?"

"Shishishi…" Luffy grinned. "I've always wanted to do this…"

**10min Later**

Arlong groaned and rubbed his head as he woke up. Snapping his eyes in realization, he jumped up and looked around. What he saw in front of him, surprised him. There was the human-boy he was supposed to capture, done up in shackles on his wrist and abdomen, with a pissed-off look on his face. Looking around, he didn't see the boy's companions at all, and he could've swore something else was off in the room, but ignored it. Arlong's frown deepened when he noted Strawhat wasn't in the area at all. "Oi Neptune, what happened while I was out?"

"After Edogawa-kun eletricuted you, we took the humans, including Strawhat out of their air bubble and forced them into submission. Theire currently being held in the cell; we're waiting from your side as to what to do with them." Neptune explained.

"Hmmm…what about Jinbe and the others?" Arlong questioned.

"Also in holding cells; Jinbe will be executed, and the mermaid and Hatchan will be awaiting trial along with Pappug. Now…Shirahoshi's return-"

"Shashasha! That won't happen until this kid's done and delivered!" He cut off the good king. "Besides, Decken's in charge of her delivery, not me."

"Bastards!" Ryuboshi yelled. "You said!"

"I know what I said, I don't know what they said though." Arlong grinned.

"Tch. You guys don't plan on letting Princess Shirahoshi live, do you?" Conan glared. "All of us are nothing but sacrifices in this game, aren't we?"

"Shashasha! It's nothing personal! Just the way things are! By the way…" Arlong yanked Conan's chain forward. POW! The whole room watched in horror as the buff fsihman, sent a bad blow to Conan's face. The boy hit the ground hard under the air bubble. "That's for earlier; try that again, and it'll be my teeth making implants on yah!"

"Tch…" Conana struggled to get up. Damn, Jinbe wasn't kidding when he said Fishman were ten times stronger than humans. Conan was surprised his jaw didn't disconnect from his jaw. "Bastard."

"You really are, Arlong." Neptune growled. "Take the boy, and bring back my daughter. Please…I beg you!"

"Shashasha! Come on brat, no need to keep the lady waiting!" The sharkman pulled Conan along, ignoring the wining from the boy. As Conan was dragged behind the large fishman, he glanced back behind him, and gave a reassuring nod to the group. Everything (other than the punch), was going to plan.

**With Jinbe's group**

Jinbe fisted his hands, while Keimi and Pappug were crying into Hatchan's shoulder. This was hard, but that detective as risking everything for them, they couldn't afford to. With a heavy sigh, Jinbe forced them forward, Conan was doing his part with Luffy, Marguerite had to lead her group to do the same. The human girl was already waiting at the Mermaid Café.

**1hr-With Conan and Arlong**

As Conan was forced along inside the bubble around himself, he couldn't help but want to wipe that smirk of Arlong's face. He was so getting the damned fishman back for that punch! Looking behind him, he smirked at the object following them. He hoped Luffy was okay though.

"We're here." Conan was stopped abruptly, and came face to face with what he was sure, was the 'Flying Dutchman'. The ship was huge ark, but it was rich, beautiful, and actually looked like it had been preserved for years. He wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this.

"This ship actually supports people, Arlong-san?" Conan asked.

"Hey! This ship has been in that crazy Deceken's family since the beginning, be respectful of pirate's ship when you'll be staying in it for a while." The fishman scolded.

"Ah. Gomen." Conan nodded his head.

"Whatever. Let's go." Arlong pulled the chain forward, making them board the ship. To Conan's surprise, once they got into the surrounding of the ship, he realized that they were in an air bubble. A giant air bubble, was actually surrounding the ship. The detective kept close to Arlong, seeing as how Decken's crew obviously didn't like him here.

"Captain Decken!" A loud voice called, interrupting Conan's thoughts. Noticing that his captor wasn't paying attention, Conan went to the bow of the ship and looked over, his eyes practically bugged out of his head. There was a huge fishman giant, that had his facial hair and head hair connecting through the outline of his face, bulgy lips, and bug eyes. He was shirtless, and was leading the ship around by a chain. "Captain Decken!" He yelled again.

"What is it? Wadatsumi?" Conan turned around and gaped at the sight. In front of him was a very tall fishman, with a catfish-like face, wild hair, four or six legs, and dressed like a drifter almost. The detective assumed this was the infamous stalker that Neptune told him about. The tall man curled his gotique mustache and noticed the boy. "Ah! You must be Conan Edogawa! Nice to meet you, I suspect!"

"You suspect?" Conan repeated with a raised brow.

"Of course! I suspect many things!" Suddenly, a bunch of disco lights appeared and the man started dancing. After a few awkward moments, Decken gave his usual pose; crossing his arms and pointing two fingers out.

Conan turned to Arlong and whispered. "Does he always do that?"

"You get used to it." The saw-toothed man submitted.

"I see." The boy sweat-droped.

"Captain Decken!" The giant fishman complained again.

"What is is Wadatsumi? Have people RSVP-ing the wedding yet?" The pirate captian asked eagerly.

"No captain! There's a weird shark swimming around the ship!" Conan gulped, seeing the shark swimming around.

"Ah! It's Shirahoshi's pet! Wonderful! I suspect!" Decken cheered and suddenly lifted a huge axe up. "Wonderful time to practice!" With sheer force, Decken threw the axe at the shark.

'NO!' Conan panicked. Luckily, the shark swam off and the axe missed. But before Conan knew it, the axe was coming straight back at him. A hand stopped the axe from slicing the boy's head in half. Conan stared at the sharp tip of the weapon, at his nose, his eyes widened at what almost happened.

"Whoops! I need to becareful! My bride's already here, and my mark's on her! I suspect!" Decken laughed at the boy's horror. "You see, I at the Mark-Mark fruit, which is why this ship is encased in this bubble; I can't breathe underwater like other fishman. I suspect!"

"Wait…you're saying, that those devil fruits even take a fishman's ability to function in the water?" Conan asked.

"Yep! No one's immune to it! I suspect!" He laughed.

"Interesting. So I'm here; release the princess." Conan ordered.

"OH! Bahohoho! You thought you coming here to get Shirahoshi's freedom? Hell no! You're here as the best man!" Decken laughed and Conan blinked. "It'll be perfect! A navy admiral's awaiting to marry us at the alter! And in exchange for total control over Fishman Island, all we have to do is hand over you! I suspect!"

"Wait! We're heading to the Navy Admiral?" Conan demanded.

"Indeed! Shirahoshi and I will finally be wedded, tying our destiny permanently together!" He grinned.

"At least give the princess an opportunity to say goodbye to her family." Conan growled.

"No way! We're eloping!" Decken declared. "Her family refuses to approve of us! And I'd rather see her dead than with someone else! I suspect!"

"You'd kill this woman for turning you down?" Conan scoffed. "So much for love."

"I DO LOVE HER!" He hoisted the boy up by his shirt collar. "Don't you dare say otherwise! I love Shirahoshi! I'll never find a woman as big and beautiful as her! Understand boy?" He grinned. "It's either marriage or death! And after that Shichibukai threatened to hijack the mermaid café, she was perfectly willing to come with us!"

'So that's how they got the princess.' Conan inwardly growled. "So why am I the best man? I don't even know you."

"Because! You're being given away too! Only natural you should be apart of the ceremony!" Decken explained. "Which reminds me! Throw him into the prison! And make sure hes got the proper attire for the event! This is to be a happy occasion, I suspect!"

"Ah." Arlong dragged Conan along into the interior of the ship. As they were walking ahead, Conan took in his surroundings, shocked at how huge the ark was. It reminded him of the old testament story, he truly believed that every species of animal could fit on this ship. Conan was snapped out of it, when he was pulled to an abrupt stop. "We're here." The door to the room was swung open, and Conan was thrown in. "Shashasha! Cheer up princess, you've got some company now!" Arlong slammed the door shut.

Conan groaned and struggled to get up, that blow from Arlong was still hurting. He coughed a little, and cringed when he noted the blood coming out his mouth; his internal biological structure was deteriorating, so that punch probably fractured several bones and organs. He was in pain but he was mobile, that was what was important. The boy looked around himself and noted that he was in a huge room; it was well-decorated with gold and pink wallpaper, had several treasure chests filled with pink rubies, had a window, and had a huge bed with a lump in the center of it. The boy blinked. This was a prison? It looked more like a rich girl's bedroom.

"A-Ano…" A quiet girlish voice got his attention. Conan walked up to the giant bed, only to realize that he was in a Jack-and-the-Beanstalk parody. Climbing up that bed would be like scaling a mountain. Suddenly a pair of giant blue eyes peered down at him.

"AAAUGH!" Conan was thrown back from the shock.

"AAAUGH!" The giant face screamed also and hid under the covers once again. "N-Not another scary person!"

After a few moments of silence and sniffling, Conan spoke. "Um…excuse me? But could you tell me what room this is?"

"I-It's the room Vander Decken-sama placed me in! It's terrible! Scary people keep coming in here, I want to go home!" She sniffed. "One scary person won't even leave!"

"Scary person?" Conan repeated but suddenly heard munching and slurping noises. Blinking, Conan went around to one of the sides of the giant bed, and saw a huge TV tray beside it. Inhaling his lungs, he called. "Hello?"

The munching and slurping stopped and Conan fell on his butt when he saw who was peering down at him. "Ah! Conan!" Luffy stretched his arm and lifted Conan up to where he was. "I was getting worried! What took you so long?"

"…What the hell are you doing?" Conan exclaimed. "And what do you mean what took me so long? You were supposed to crash the ship the second Arlong-san and I got on it! Where the hell were you?"

"Ah! The shark I was riding inside of got into a fight with the scary fish with teeth and a light bubl on his head. He ended up spitting me into a cannon of the ship, it flipped over and I got out! I didn't know how to find you, so I decided to just wait for you in here. I was really hungry too!" Luffy resumed eating the noodles and lettuce that he apparently started.

The detective boy stared with an open mouth when he saw how fat Luffy had become, and he was still eating! He was puffing up like a balloon and he was still eating! "That doesn't explain how you thought I'd meet you here! Who is that anyways?" Conan pointed to the giant hiding under the bed covers.

"Ah! Her name's Shirahoshi! She's big and a huge coward and crybaby, so I don't like her!" He smiled and kept eating. Conan also noted with a hanging jaw, that Luffy was once again, thin. Talk about fast metabolism! No screw metabolism, Conan was sure Luffy wasn't human!

"WAAAH! No one's said something so horrible to me! Luffy-sama, Little-Human-sama, please leave." She sniffled.

"Shirahoshi…" Conan's eyes bugged out of his sockets. "PRINCESS SHIRAHOSHI? That's the princess? She's freakin's huge!" Wow…when Decken said big woman, he was not kidding in the slightest.

"WAAAH!" Shirahoshi threw the covers off herself, revealing her physical image to the boy. She was about a hundred times Conan's size, had a huge bust with a skimpy yellow crop top, a royal-pink tail, long pink hair with a royal style to it, and huge blue eyes. "I've never been yelled at before! Please stop yelling!" She grabbed a thicker blanket and hid herself.

"This is the princess…?" Conan stared at the large image, remembered Otohime's image, then remembered the princes' images. One questioned entered the detective's mind that he wouldn't dare ask: how in the hell did Otohime give birth to her?

**Meanwhile- Marguerite's Group**

"This place truly is beautiful. Wonder what other kinds of places are on the Grand Line." The blonde said to herself.

"So you've never been off Amazon Lilly, Margie-chan?" Keimi asked. The green-haired mermaid found herself unable to say the Amazonian name properly, so the blonde let the mermaid nickname her. Currently, they, Pappug, and Hatchan were all heading towards the Mermaid Café to talk to Keimi's boss.

"No, I've never been off the island. I'm currently in training to be one of the Kuja pirates that goes to the outside world." Marguerite explained.

"What's it like there?" Keimi asked. "Is it strange to have nothing but women around?"

"Of course not. It's a natural, comfortable, and efficient environment that supports and nurtures itself. We do not need the help of men." The blonde replied.

"What about Luffy-kun and Conan-kun?" Keimi pointed out.

"I never said we couldn't be friends with them." The Amazonian replied. "How much further till this café anyways?"

"We're here!" Pappug cheered. Marguerite cringed at the sight of the building, for whatever reason it made her feel nauseous. Sucking it up, she followed her group inside.

"Madam Shyarly!" Keimi called out. Marguerite looked around herself in mild fascination, while Hathcan felt kind of embarrassed for some reason, and Pappug was just flat-out drooling. "Madam Shyarly!" She called again.

"Ara, Ara…don't be so loud Keimi-chan. It's disruptive to the customers." Marguerite turned to see a sharper-looking mermaid appear. She was very beautiful, rose-lips, and had a tail and hair as black as night. From the way Keimi bowed to her, Marguerite knew she was Keimi's superior. What took the Amazonian back was how much larger this Shyarly was than the average mermaid. "I see, come to the back then." Marguerite snapped out of her trance and followed the group. Shyarly made herself comfortable in her chair, and allowed everyone to sit in bubbles. "So what exactly do you need my help with Keimi-chan? Do you need more time with Hatchan-kun? What you went through was very traumatic."

"No! Thank you for asking Madam! But we actually need help with something else! Could you…" Keimi looked like she was having trouble asking.

"Could I what?" The shark mermaid glanced at the mer-people in the group, they seemed rather reluctant to ask whatever it was they wanted.

"We need your skills madam!" Marguerite stood and bowed for the group. "Please! Help us find the King's Diary!"

**With Conan and Luffy**

"Anyways, so that's what's going on." Conan reiterated when Decken had told him, to Luffy and Shirahoshi. After calming the princess down and explaining that the both were there to help, she relaxed slightly but didn't open up until Megalo was brought up. She was overjoyed to know her pet was okay, and was now openly talking with them. Conan noted the look of contempt on Luffy's face.

"Luffy-san…this admiral that's waiting for us…do you know him?" Conan already knew the answer, but he needed to make sure Luffy was right in the head before this went any further.

"Ah. I need to pay this bastard back for what he did to me and my crew. He destroyed Robin's island and had the nerve to bully her in front of me. I challenged him to a one on one and lost pretty badly. I'll beat him this time. Count on it!" Luffy said with a determined look.

"What about Vander Decken-sama? He's very strong. How will you fight him?" Shirahoshi asked.

"This Decken-guy sounds like a whimp! So no problem!" Luffy grinned.

"She's right; the admiral's not our only opponent. A shichibukai, named Donquixote Donflamingo's lurking around too. I'm sure you're strong Luffy-san, but we're pretty badly outnumbered and outmatched right now." Conan frowned. It was true; no matter how strong Luffy was, the pirate captain take on three opponents at once. They needed a plan of some kind.

**Mermaid Café**

Now the Amazonian understood why her group was so hesitant in asking for this favor. This woman hated her ability to see the future, for she normally only saw bad things. But after explaining the urgency of the situation, as well as why one of Fishman Island's greatest treasures needed to be dug up, Shyarly relented and agreed to help. The group gathered around as the shark-mermaid stared deep into her crystal ball, her eyes widened and she gasped. "I don't believe it!"

**Meanwhile- Ryugu Palace**

Jinbe was seriously starting to consider leaving his post now. He knew Luffy was strong as well, but he was badly outnumbered with what awaited him. But the boy specifically told him to wait four hours before going to the Sea Forest, so that's just what he'd do. He looked to Neptune and his sons, who looked anxious and defeated at the same time. Jinbe didn't blame them, they felt helpless. He was too, but tensed when he suddenly felt a presence behind him.

"Well, well…didn't expect to see another Shichibukai here." Luckily, they were at an isolated part of the palace, but that didn't mean shit with this man. Slowly, the large fishman turned to face the intruder.

"So you show yourself. What are you doing here…Donflamingo?" He hated that man's manic smile.

**Meanwhile- Luffy and Conan**

"Oi brat, let's go. We're here!" Arlong opened the door and raised a brow. Conan's back was to him, and the crying princess was actually out from her covers. She gave him a semi-defiant look. "Huh?"

"GUM GUM NO PISTOL!" Arlong was knocked out with one blow. "Yosh! All those fights on the Grand Line really toughened me up!" Conan raced over to the fishman, reached into his pocket, and put a tablet in Arlong's mouth.

"Huh? What'd you give him Conan?" Luffy asked.

"A sleeping-pill. This way he won't bother us for awhile." That was one villain down. "Now, Luffy-san, Princess Shirahoshi, you guys remember what to do?" He smirked.

"Un." Both nodded their heads vigorously.

"Okay, Luffy-san hide!" The rubber man reluctantly did as he was told. "Shirahoshi-san, you're cue!"

Sucking in a breath, she began. "AAAAAAAAAAUUUUGH!" Conan dropped to the ground in seconds, and Decken came running in the door with his men. But he quickly averted his eyes from Shirahoshi, telling himself he didn't actually see his bride before the wedding.

"What happened, my lovely Shirahoshi?" Decken asked.

"A-Arlong-sama tried to a-assault me, b-but Conan-kun saved me." She sniffled. "He zapped Arlong-sama with electricity I-I think."

"WHAT?" Decken screamed. "Guards! Throw him in the brink! He's a traitor I suspect!"

'What's there to suspect with that, really?' Conan inwardly twitched.

**Review please! Also, don't give me crap about Decken's ship description, that was on purpose, you'll see why later on! I'm pretty sure you guys got my obvious hints already anyways, but just letting you guys know. Btw, keeping Decken in character's easy, but figuring out what he'll say next is a bitch! Remember to vote for your Black Organization character that you want to see appear in this fic. If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, PM or review me! **


	37. For whom the Bell Tolls

**Hey guys! I'm updating early to to homework and going out of town on Friday! So in this chapter, I know people were expecting this huge fight and confrontation, but unfortunately, that's not happening until next chapter. I'm sorry! I know you guys really wanted to see Conan spill his guts here, but it just worked better for the next chapter! Remember, Case Closed is all about build up, so when the truth finally does come out, it's epic; then One Piece, pretty much everything's revealed very close to the end. Again! I'm sorry that you guys have to wait another chapter, but I promise Conan WILL spill his guts, and an epic confrontation WILL happen. On the final note, Vermouth, Gin, and Vodka are still in the lead, if you don't like it, cast a vote!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed**

Aokiji looked at the ancient chapel in slight dismay; so this was where the Void and king and queen got married. And it was going to be desecrated by a forced shot-gun wedding, and a full front-assault on an underwater kingdom. He nor did anyone in the Navy have anything against Neptune or his family, it was just another necessary sacrifice; just like the boy, just like Whitebeard…just like Olivia. Like Olivia, Ryugu kingdom had dangerous connections too, this was the only safe route.

The admiral felt uneasy, the Shichibukai left him in to go to Ryugu Palace to 'secure it', when it was plainly obvious he just didn't want to confront the detective boy yet. It was obvious Strawhat and the boy would be no match whether Donflamingo was with him or not, but what bothered him was that the Shichibukai was actually confident that both would win. Aokiji fully admitted that he underestimated the detective boy last time, but he wasn't going to make the same mistake again.

**At Ryugu Palace**

Jinbe took his aggressive fishman karate stance, and watched the lanky man's every move. Donflamingo hadn't done anything yet, but from what Jinbe had seen of him before, fighting wasn't necessary for this man. "So what is all this? Was this whole situation your doing, Donflamingo?"

"Which part? The boy? The plan? Or the hostile take over?" He laughed.

"Any of it!" Jinbe snapped.

"Well, I can't take any of the credit for the planning; the World Government set up something fun so I just took advantage of it. I haven't had this mch fun in such a long time Jinbe, I don't plan on ending it anytime soon." He explained.

"Then explain why you're here! What was the purpose of putting Edogawa-kun through all this!" The fishman demanded.

"Interesting, you don't know the boy's story?" Donflamingo laughed.

"He gave me as honest of an answer as he could; he has good intentions, the king gave him his blessings, and he has my trust. I don't know what the exact contents are in this conflict, but until I have reason to believe otherwise, I'll fight on Edogawa-kun's side." Jinbe explained.

"I see." Donflamingo chuckled. "Relax, I don't plan on doing anything here; it'd be boring if people started dying now, besidies…I want to see if that boy can beat the odds and survive."

"What are you talking about?" The fishman demanded.

"I have some time to kill I suppose, let me tell yah a little story Jinbe; a story of something called the Black Organization, and the rise and fall of the great detective, Jimmy Kudo." The man did his normal sitting pose, and with a manic tale, told the insane story.

**Meanwhile- Marguerite's Group**

After revealing where the King's Diary was, Shyarly insisted upon going with the group; it was too dangerous alone, and they needed the large mermaid to tell them where to look. Marguerite had to admit, that the woman's navigation assistance was appreciated, but she was sure with her Amazonian skill and strength, she could easily retrieve the diary herself. For you see, the King's Diary was located under one of the most sacred spots in Fishman Island- Sunlight Tree Eve. To retrieve the diary would be a delicate procedure, and none of them wanted to be held responsible for damaging the roots.

Regardless, they were stuck with the job of retrieving it. Shyarly apparently was one of the main caretakers of the tree, and had insisted on supervising the removal of the book. Within no time, they grabbed some shovels and headed for the spot.

"This is humiliating." She groaned; these were terrible shovels. The ones at Amazon Lilly were much bigger, sturdier, and were built to make larger streaks in the ground. These shovels were essentially purchased out of a thrift shop.

"It can't be helped; this is where the diary is located." Shyarly sighed. "Let's go. Your friends need us to hurry, correct?"

"Yes ma'm!" Keimi and Hatchan saluted and started digging. Marguriete sighed and stared herself, glaring at how Shyarly and Pappug were making them do all the work.

"I just can't believe it, under the Sunlight Tree Eve! Who would've thought?" Keimi asked no one particular.

"I can't say many of them would." Marguriete responded, although when the blonde thought about it, it made sense for the diary to be buried under the tree. A ruler was supposed to cast light upon his subjects, and that's exactly what the book was doing. Distracted, Marguerite dug a little to hard and deep, and hit a crack of some kind. Frowning, she stabbed the spot several times with the shovel, until…CRACK!

"What was that?" Hatchan asked.

"I don't know. Margie-chan, do you here anything?" Keimi asked.

"Uh-oh." Was the only theing the blonde said, before the entire ground started cracking before the three occupants. "Get ready to land!"

"Wha- AAAAAAUUUUGGGH!" They fell through.

"Keimi-chan! Hachi-kun!" Shyalry and Pappug dove into the hole after them.

**With Conan and Luffy**

Conan sighed as he looked at himself in the mirror; since this was a wedding, people were being forced to dress up. It looked like a ratty, old, vintage, pirate outfit; maroon red coat, poofy sleeves, black pants, and old boots. Apparently this was formal-wear to the insane fish-man, and had no choice but to go along with it. Shirahoshi was in her own dressing room, getting ready, he briefly wondered if he could sneak over and talk over some plans he had with her. Speaking of which, his belt was still on him, but he had no idea where Luffy was. They were in some kind of underground sea cavern, surrounded by beautiful coral and crystals; there were building structures and some plant life, so it was obvious people had lived down here in the past. Conan idly wondered what this place had been used for.

"Are you ready?" Conan jumped and turned to a rather nervous Decken. He was holding a bouquet of flowers, was pushing his index fingers together nervously, and held a slight blush. Conan blinked, wondering what he wanted.

"You're nervous?" Conan asked. It was more of a statement than a question.

"Eh. I'm nervous I'll trip as I walk down the aisle or something! I'm not sure what to say! I suspect!" Decken admitted.

"And…what do you want me to do about it?" The detective asked.

"I was…hoping you could walk Shirahoshi down the aisle." The detective fell over; he was not expecting that! "You see, the whole thing feels rushed, and I feel like if someone walked Shirahsoi down the aisle, then it would give a more natural feeling, and I wouldn't feel as nervous. I suspect!"

"Uh…sure." Was all the detective could say. "You…do know it's normally the father that walks the bride down the aisle, right?"

"I know! But, her father isn't invited because he doesn't approve of us!" He yelled.

"I see…hey Decken-san, why do you have such an obsession with Shirahoshi-san?" The boy asked.

"Ah! It all started ten years ago! At the time of Otohime-sama's assassination…" He trailed off.

**With Luffy**

The strawhat captain sighed as he hid behind the mirror in the giant room, giving the mermaid the privacy she needed to change; although she didn't have much clothing anyways, so what was different about being naked. That question her earned him a giant scream and an almost-blown cover; Conan had told him not make himself known until the ceremony. He didn't know why he had to hide; being undercover was sooo boring! "Ne, you done yet Shirahoshi?"

"A-Almost L-Luffy-sama! Please don't come out yet!" The tearful mermaid pleaded.

"Well hurry up! I'm getting bored here!" Luffy complained.

"Hai!" After a few seconds, Shirahoshi called again. "Hai! I'm dressed now, Luffy-sama!"

"Finally, geez…you take longer to get ready than Nami and Robin do." The rubber boy complained.

"G-Gomenasai." She apologized. "It's been awhile since I've worn something like this, does it look bad?"

"Hm?" Luffy tilted his head. Shirahoshi was dressed a very fancy, beaded, white top; had a veil over her face, and several bracelets on her tail. "You're wearing a shirt, I don't see the big deal." Luffy single-handedly insulted every woman who tries their hardest to look their best every morning.

**With Decken and Conan**

Conan stared at the ecstatic man, not sure if he was psychotic or stupid; so Shirahoshi had the ability to summon sea kings, huh? Apparently, one of the most aggressive sea monsters of this world; funny how Neptune forgot to mention that in the story. The detective frowned, that explained why he was after the large mermaid; not only was he a pedophile and a stalker, but he was also a power-hungry moron. Either way, it presented them a unique advantage, and if he was walking Shirahoshi down the aisle, that meant he could enact it if he needed to. "How'd you manage to keep her ability under control while she was with you, Decken-san?"

"Ah! That shichbukai gave us a sedative that puts people to sleep if they get too excited! It works wonders, I suspect!" He replied.

'Damn, that means if I try to get Shirahoshi to use it, she'll pass out; and Luffy and I can't carry her.' Though Conan. "Do you know how long it lasts? Maybe you need to give her another shot?"

"Actually!" Decken danced. "They only gave me onshot for some reason! Said I'd only need one! Which they're right! I suspect!"

'That means with luck, Shirahoshi 's sedative will be wearing off…!' Conan realizes something. When Shirahoshi saw him and Luffy, she was extremely upset and had a crying fit, but didn't pass out. The serum had to have worn off! Smirking, Conan put on the most sincere smile he could, and bowed. "I'd be honored to walk Shirahoshi-san down the aisle, Decken-san."

**Meanwhile-Ryugu Palace**

"So what you think, Jinbe?" Donflaminog laughed at the horrified expression on Jinbe's face. "The World Government and the Gorosei collaborated with a terrorist organization in different universe, only to try to take over it, and to get the stupid youth serum. All it would take would be one human sacrifice; sadly, the boy didn't go along with the role and broke Fire-Fist out of jail."

"Which is what Garp had planned the whole time." Jinbe clenched his fists.

"Yep! Boy was the old hag pissed about that! She doesn't hate Fire-Fist or anything, but that was what set-off the whole chain of events; now the detective boy's not just a human sacrifice, he's the world's sacrifice. A statement that says the deal's off to the Black Organization, and will put the world's nerves at ease. The revolution everyone predicted will happen, just in a much more spectacular way!" The flamboyant man spun around.

"What is your part in this Donflamingo? Just how in the hell are you benefiting in all this?" Jinbe demanded.

"He he…Garp called me actually, he was the one who initiated the idea of the boy being a the war's sacrifice; he's been feeding me information behind the old hag Tsuru's back the whole time! She doesn't even know it! However, the more I got involved…the more Garp's plan bored me." He grinned manically.

"So you set the boy down the most chaotic route as possible; gathering all the secrets and information the Gorosei was so desperate to bury. What was the point of that? Do you plan on stealing that information?" Jinbe demanded.

"Hm…the truth is, Jinbe-kun….I already knew." The fishman stared at the tall man in shock. "Recently, a Tenryuubito died, and I was able to have one of my subordinates dissect the corpse. When they discovered that it had been a walking corpse already, everything else was easy to figure out. It was just fun to watch that little salmon swim up against the stream, past the bears, and past the fisherman. This benefits me because it's fun, Jinbe!"

"You…put that boy through hell, set all of us help…for fun?" Jinbe trembled.

"Yep! I haven't seen this good of a show since Fisher Tiger!" He dodged a punch that was thrown at him; the furniture behind the tall human crumbled. "So what do you think of the good detective kid now, Jinbe? What will you do?"

"Hmph! I intend to help that boy with every ounce of strength I have." The fishman proudly stated.

Surprisingly, Donflamingo frowned. "Why? Aren't you angry that he lied to you?"

"The only reason why that boy lied to me and everyone else is because his situation is beyond comprehension; he most likely endured all this alone because no one would believe him in this world. But in his own world; to suffer silent battles and to gain your freedom back in such a way…that is no one to distrust. That is a warrior fighting for their cause, and as far as I'm concerned…Edogawa-kun may be going through all this to get to his home universe, but he's fighting like hell to save ours as well!" Jinbe got into an aggressive stance. "I'll be of assistance to him until he is home, I swear on my life as a Fishman."

"Well that's too bad, Jinbe." Donflamingo raised his fingers, and curled one of them back.

"GAH!" Jinbe fell to his knees, coughing up blood profusely.

Donflamingo stood up straight, walked over to Jinbe, and kicked him on his side. "I wanted to see if that mouse could find his way out of an impossible maze on this island, but it appears that won't happen. This is the most fun I've had in ages, I don't plan on letting it end any time soon." His eyes glowered at the passed out fishman; how dare these brats try to ruin his fun?

**Meanwhile- Marguerite's Group**

Marguerite groaned as she struggled to get up. She glanced around her surroundings, trying to gather her bearings; looking behind her, she saw Keimi on top of Hatchan, both had swirls in their eyes. From their position, Marguerite knew that the octopus-man had used himself as cushion for the young mermaid, a…gentleman-like thing to do, according to Nyon. Whatever the hell that meant.

"Oh good, you're awake." Marguerite spun around to see Madam Shyarly smoking her pipe-thing, Pappug was doing the same thing.

"Glad to see you made an effort to catch us." Marguerite growled, she stood up and dusted herself off. "What is this place?"

"We explored while you were unconscious; this seems to be a burial ground of some kind, however…from what we can tell, none of this is Fishman originated. The style, writing, portraits, it's definitely humans, also…there's something you might find interesting Marguerite-chan." The Amazonian growled, but followed the woman anyways. After a few moments, Marguerite took in her surroundings. It was indeed a burial ground; almost no plant-life, dark, dreary but was strangely devoid of water or the smell of salt water. How was that possible on this island? Coming to a stop, Marguerite's eyes widened as she recognized the familiar steps and Shinto shrine setup at the top of the stairs. She dashed up, not bothering to explain herself, and saw the same thing as she did at Amazon Lilly. The circle with the four islands, and small circle in the middle. "It's in there, correct?"

"Ah. It is." Marguerite stepped forward to open the chasm to retrieve it, but was stop by Shyarly. "What is it? I'm in a hurry."

"That diary is an important part of history, you'll know to give it to his majesty Neptune when you're done with it, correct?" The older mermaid asked.

"Sure; I have no use for it anyways. Conan-kun's the one who needs it, not me." Marguerite responded.

"I saw through my crystal ball about him, who he is and what he wants; he's a good boy who means no harm; however…if he does not complete his journey in 48hrs he will die, and this journey will be for not." Shyarly spoke regretfully.

Marguerite stiffened, but continued forward anyways. "Tell me on the way to the Sea Forest; if what you say is true, then we don't have time to waste talking." With almost no effort, the Amazonian pried open the chasm and pulled the book out. She blew the dust off, and smiled in satisfaction; it was an exact replica of the book Conan had. "Tell me about it on the way out."

"Oh…" Keimi and Hatchan came up the stairs with Pappug leading them. Hatchan blinked at the serious looks of the two women. "What'd we miss?"

**Meanwhile- Luffy and Conan**

Conan sighed and waited outside Shirahoshi's changing room, idly wondering if the ceremony room would be large enough for to wiggle down. "Conan!" Luffy came out of the dressing room.

"Luffy-san? Is Shirahoshi-san ready?" He asked.

"Yeah, but she refuses to come out!" He complained. "She thinks that if she stys in there, she'll get out of it! What are crybaby!"

"I see." Conan raised a brow at Luffy's attitude towards the princess but didn't say anything. He knocked on the mermaid's door. "Shirahoshi-san, can it's Conan. Can I come in?"

"Hai. Please do." With that, Conan opened the door and ushered Luffy in too. Conan took in Shirahoshi's appearance, a formal, white, jeweled tank-top, several white veils over her hair and head, and had some type of dress decorations on her tail. "You look nice."

"I don't want to hear that!" Shirahoshi exclaimed. "I-I don't want to look nice for this!"

"O-Okay, calm down! You look hideous then!" Conan tried desperately to remember how Rachel calmed Serena down when a pair of large jeans fit perfectly. Not entirely the same situation, but same reaction.

"WAAH!" She cried.

"Why's she crying? She doesn't look any different than normal." Luffy asked in confusion.

"WAAAAH!" She wailed louder.

"WOULD YOU BOTH SHUT UP!" Conan finally exclaimed. Luffy and Shirahoshi clammed up and looked to the boy. "We don't have much time before the ceremony, and there's a pissed-off admiral waiting for us at the end of the aisle! I came here to tell you guys the plan!"

"UGH! Conan! Planning's boring! I just want to go in and beat these guys!" Luffy groaned. The detective guessed that planned actions almost never happened with this guy.

"It's not just Decken and the admiral! There's his crew, and we're sounded by water. If a huge fight breaks out here, the walls may cave in and we'd drown." The detective explained. "Careful planning has to be put into this."

"Hmph! Fine! But I get to kick serious ass when I get to!" Luffy pounded his fists together.

"Of course." The detective sweat-dropped and turned to Shirahoshi. "Shirahoshi-san, do you remember when you summoned Sea Kings when you were six?"

"Ah? You know about that? I didn't think I had that power, I-I thought it was a coincidence." She replied.

"You can't hold abilities like that back, if you summon them, they'll provide us a way out as well as another resource to use. Now, do you know how you summoned them, exactly?" Conan asked.

"Uh…I don't know, all I remember is that, I was really upset…and my brothers were trying to calm me down. They were singing and dancing to keep me cheered up…when our mother was assassinated." She explained hesitantly.

Conan frowned at her words, feeling immensely guilty for bringing this up. Her brothers were forced to put on the biggest show for the sake of their kingdom, right as their mother died in front of them. That's when a thought struck Conan. "You've been locked away in that tower to insure that you can't get upset, haven't you?"

"What…?" Shirahoshi asked.

"While it was obviously for your own protection as well, but the main component is: Neptune-san and your family knew what triggered your power, they just didn't know how upset you had to be to trigger it. That was another purpose of the tower: a controlled environment." Conan said with clenched fists.

"Conan, what are you talking about? She can't have powers, she's too weak!" Luffy complained.

"She can't fight at all, however…she possesses something that could be just as useful. Shirahoshi-san…I hate to ask you of this, but I need you to think of your mother's death, and remember just how scared you were, sad you were, and how much hatred you have for the killer." The detective asked, feeling even more guilt.

"B-But I don't hate my mother's killer." Conan and Luffy blinked. "My mother wanted me to not hate her killer, so I-I don't."

"…Shirahoshi-san you sound like you know who your mother's killer was." Conan said.

"Eh. Megalo told me. He's not here on the island right now according to Megalo, but…he's the one who framed-"

"So what you're telling me is, your queen, your mother, completely disregarded her own people's safety and family's welfare to chase a pipe-dream, and you hereby supported her stupidity by letting her killer go free. Killing an innocent bystander who just happened to be there at the time?" Conan slammed his fit against the wall, he was beyond pissed. Now that he thought about it, comparing Neptune and Decken's story, he was starting to feel way less sympathy and respect for Otohime.

"E-Edogawa-kun…" He was getting scarier than Luffy.

"Conan?" Luffy frowned at the hostility.

"You know what Shirahoshi-san, you're as stupid as Decken-san is insane; you two freakin' deserve each other. Luffy-san, if you still want to fight the admiral and Decken we need to plan, but it's obvious this useless giant will slow us down." Conan turned around and began to walk out of the room. "Be ready in ten minutes Shirahoshi-san, because that's when I walk you down the aisle." With that, the detective stormed out of the room, and ran down the corridor a few feet, before falling to his face. Conan's eyes widened, he was having a violent coughing attack, and from hat he could tell, it was more than blood he was coughing up. Reaching into his belt, he shakily popped the prescribed medicine into his mouth, hoping VegaPunk would keep to his word. Taking a few slow breaths, the coughing fit and pain subsided, and Conan's breathing became regular once again, and he slid down th wall to sit.

"You were pretty mean to Shirahoshi." Conan turned to the Strawhat Captain, who bore a frown. "Why'd you get so mad at her anyways? Conan? Are you…crying?" The detective blinked, realizing that he was crying, he didn't know why, but that girl's stupidity was the last straw. He didn't know why what she and her mother did infuriated him so much, but it just did! Suddenly, he felt someone pull him down onto a shoulder. He looked at the Strawhat Captain, who bore a comforting smile and reassuring look. "It's okay! You're small, but you never cry, so I like you!" Conan just stared at in bewilderment. "I promise I'll beat those guys and rescue you and Shirahoshi!"

The detective couldn't help himself. "What makes you so sure Luffy-san? They outnumber us in strength and numbers, and with me and Shirahoshi-san to protect, how can you possibly….?"

"Because I have to win." Luffy didn't let him finish. "I don't know why, but what that crybaby said upset you, but…I don't let any of my nakama cry! Brand new or not!"

"Luffy-san…" The detective wiped his tears away; if Luffy was being strong for him, he had to do the same. Taking a breath, his brain finally calmed down to form a plan. "I have a plan that'll take care admiral."

"That guy's mine." Luffy said.

"…If you're sure." Conan wasn't sure how rubber would fare against ice, but they had no choice. Conan stood up. "Get into your hiding place behind the alter, I'll go take care of Decken's crew. Make sure Shirahoshi's ready though."

"That's my nakama! You got it!" Luffy beamed.

**Meanwhile- Marguerite's Group**

The Amazonian hated to admit it, but they were beyond lost. After traveling several miles in the underground cave, they had as much of an idea of where they were as a drowning earthworm in a bucket of water. The only thing they had to go on for direction was this mysterious stream that was running one direction. Deciding they had no choice but to follow it, they came across something very surprising: a pod of whales.

"So cute!" Keimi cheered.

"This doesn't help us at all!" That's when Marguerite noticed something. "Oi! Isn't that Megalo-san, and…is it me or does that whale of scars?"

**Meanwhile- Luffy and Conan**

Conan smirked as he saw the plastered crewmates, ensuring that they wouldn't be attending the wedding or the fight. Spiking someone's drink with advanced knock-out drops was an old trick, but it worked. HE checked his belt to see how many bombs he had, and what kinds they were. Sentomaru had armed him with several sedatives and paralysis drugs, so if he had to, he could use them, but he was sure he'd need to electrocute Decken or at least soccer-ball him. Shaking his thoughts, Conan looked to his left, to see a very scared and sad Shirahoshi. She obviously thought they abandoned her, which frankly served her right.

"Look alive." Conan ordered as the music started playing. Conan frowned as he looked down the aisle, there was Decken dressed in a ratty tux, and there he was…Admiral Aokiji. Walking forward, both were soon upon the groom and 'priest'. "An honor to see you again Admiral."

"Likewise, detective." Aokiji glared, this would be the coldest wedding in history.

**Yeah, I suck, I know. Sorry if Conan seemed a bit out-of-character towards the end with Shirahoshi, I just know that one of Conan's biggest pet-peeves is retained information that could've been used to save someone's life. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, review or pm me!**


	38. Skeletons in the Closet

**Okay people! It's one of the chapters you've been waiting for, Conan finally spills his guts to Luffy! Now, as much as we all want to see Luffy kick Aokiji's ass, it's just not realistic at this point. He lost to him before the Water 7 mess, and he's going to lose now; I hate it, but it must be done. So there will be a slight battle scene, however, this chapter is mainly focusing on Conan telling the truth. As for the Black Organization voting, Vermouth, Vodka, and Gin are still in the lead. Please vote or restate your desire if you want someone else or want your pick to have a better chance at winning. So without further ado, here's the next chapter! Read, enjoy, review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed**

"Great! You and the admiral know each other! Let's get on with the ceremony, shall we?" Decken clapped his hands eagerly.

"Fine. I've got places to be." The Admiral groaned. "I'll skip all the boring stuff and just ask if anyone has anyone has objections to this union of matrimony."

"I do." Conan pulled out a flashbomb and threw it at Decken's face.

"GAH! You little bastard! You tricked me! I suspect!" Decken exclaimed.

"Conan-kun!" Shirahoshi exclaimed.

BBOOM!

Aokiji sighed as the alter blew up behind him, jumping away from it already. "I'd get back somewhere Princess, this is gonna get pretty messy." He sighed as he recognized the familiar Strawhat pirate. "Been a long time, Strawhat."

"Bastard! You keep hurting my nakama!" Luffy exclaimed. Without hesitation, the rubber boy launched himself at the ice admiral, fully intending to pound him into obliteration.

"My, my, you never learn, do you Strawhat." Aokiji side-stepped, letting Luffy make a stumbling landing. "And what do you mean by nakama? None of them are even here." Had the boy actually managed to reunite with his crew after Kuma? From what he heard from Kizaru, the Shichibukai sent the Strawhats flying in several different directions.

"Of course one of them's here!" Luffy got into a crouched battle position. "Here's fighting that Decken-bastard over there!"

Narrowing his eyes, the admiral asked again. "What?"

"You head me! Conan's my newest nakama! He's my crew's strategist!" Luffy declared.

"…Strawhat…what has Edogawa-kun told you exactly?" Aokiji asked quietly.

**With Conan**

The boy managed to dodge Decken for the most part, however, the fishman pirate obviously wasn't taking him seriously. Pulling out his tranquilizer gun, he took aim at Decken. The fishman pirate saw this, and suddenly appeared behind Conan, kicking him to the ground. "I won't let you do that! I suspect!"

"Stop suspecting and make a concrete decision, you bastard!" Conan lept up again, and got out his soccer ball.

"What do you plan to do with that? Play games with me?" Decken laughed.

"With that less-than-horrible balance, you'd suck anyways!" BAM! Conan shot the ball, and hit Decken square in the jaw.

**With Luffy**

"Lots of stuff! Like how you and the World Government are chasing him down the same way you did Robin! You've made too many people suffer, you bastard!" Lufy launched another punch at him. "He also told me he saved Ace from Marineford, so I know I can trust him!"

"You're placing your trust in him and declare him your nakama because of a simple good deed?" Aokiji asked bored.

"He saved Ace and he's trying to save the coward over there!" He pointed to Shirahoshi huddling in the corner. "I don't have any reason to distrust him."

"I see. Tell me, did you know that Conan has actually met each member of your crew, and even got one of them badly injured?" Aokiji smirked.

"What?" Luffy stopped mid-punch.

"It's true, he's met each one of your crew members, met your father, and even got one of your crew members hurt. Blackbeard had captured Conan, but that detective had also managed to drag Franky and Sentomaru into it." He said casually.

"URUSAI!" Luffy managed to land a kick, and knocked the Admiral down. "Don't ever lie about my nakama again! You lied about Robin and made her cry, I won't you do the same thing to Conan!"

"That treacherous detective is nothing but a liar Strawhat; don't let him use you, the same way he used me." Aokiji got up.

"What do you mean?" Luffy demanded.

**With Conan**

"Not bad for a human, I suspect!" The soccer ball had landed a few solid hits on Decken, and with Sentomaru's upgrade, it helped tremendously, but the fishman's body was adapting. It became obvious that Conan wouldn't be able to keep it up much longer. "Why are you fighting, human?"

"What?" Conan readied his taser.

"Why are you fighting; with all that's against you, you're just gonna end up dead anyway! I suspect!" Decken emphasized.

"Because I can't afford to stop fighting!" Conan exclaimed and shot the taser.

"URUSAI!" Conan snapped his head to his left, and to his horror, saw Aokiji ensnare Luffy in his ice. Luffy managed to hit the ground on his non-frozen side, but the damage is still pretty heave. Luffy was breathing harshly and shivering; as Conan suspected rubber and ice didn't mix.

"Luffy-san!" He forgot his opponent and ran over to him.

"Don't forget me!" Decken was about to throw an axe at him. The boy ducked and rolled into an crouched position.

"Out of my way!" Conan shot a strong taser, and shot the fishman pirate. It worked and he fell to the ground. The detective ran over to fallen pirate and threw himself over the Strawhat captain. "DON'T!"

"LUFFY-SAMA!" Shirahoshi couldn't take it anymore a screamed.

**Meanwhile- Marguerite's Group**

"Apparently this whale knows Luffy-kun!" Keimi said cheerfully. The whale with the scars had noticed them, and had made nice with them fairly quickly.

"Oi! What's going with the Sea King?" Marguerite pointed out. Shyarly frowned, the monsters were acting restless, even aggressive.

Shyarly's eyes widened. "Get on Laboon-kun! Now!" She shouted.

**Meanwhile- Conan and Luffy**

Aokiji stared indifferently at the little detective covering the young pirate; the rubber boy's left arm was frozen solid and could shatter at a mere touch. The detective wasn't fairing much better, his smaller body was slowly turning blue from the ice, obviously trying to keep Luffy's body warm. Conan shifted himself off the pirate, careful to avoid the frozen arm, he stood up straight and spread his arms out wide as he could. "…Please Aokiji-san, don't…" Conan huffed and composed himself. "…Don't hurt Luffy-san…I'm the one you want…I'm the one in charge of this rescue operation, not him."

The admiral snorted. "You honestly think I give a damn about a pathetic princess?" He referred to the sniveling Shirahoshi, who was clutching her head in stress. "I'm here for two reasons: the first one is the elimination of the Strawhat captain, and the second one to your capture or execution. I was told that if you resist in anyway, I am authorized to kill you, so long as I bring back your corpse. With that…I'm sure you know what happens next."

"Conan! Run!" Luffy hissed. His arm was in so much pain.

"Luffy-san!" Conan looked around for anything that could be used to arm up the boy's arm and turned back to the admiral. "Aokiji-san please! Luffy-san had nothing to do with this! You can take back the ice to heal his arm, so do it!"

"You are in no position to make demands of me Kudo." He hissed. Conan's eyes widened, while Luffy blinked in suspicion.

"Kudo? Who's Kudo?" Luffy tilted his head in confusion. "There's no one named Kudo here?"

"No, there is Strawhat he's-" Aokiji was cut-off.

"He's right here." Conan beat him to it. Conan clenched his fists, and slowly lifted his head up to look the admiral straight in the eye. "Luffy-san…I know you know that I haven't been honest with you about a lot of things…you've allowed me to keep my secretes, and despite that…you put all your trust in me. Thank you…" Conan let out a sigh. "But now it's time I told you the truth, everyone the truth. I've been lying for so long, that I forgot how to tell the truth. The Grand Line, Ace-san, your crew mates, and the rest of the pirates have taught me how to be honest again, but more than that…they showed me that I'm still Jimmy Kudo on the inside."

"Jimmy Kudo?" Luffy repeated.

"Yeah…Luffy-san, Jimmy Kudo is my real name; Conan Edogawa was a fake name I made up when I was turned into a kid." Silence followed that statement. "There's a lot things I need to explain, so please…let me start from the beginning. My name is Jimmy Kudo, I'm a third year in high school, and I am my world's greatest detective."

"…This isn't your world, Conan." Luffy frowned.

The detective turned and gave a smile to the pirate. "No it's not…I'm from a different world than this Luffy-san…I come from a world where pirates practically don't exist anymore, where there are giant landmasses instead of islands, the ocean's to vast and no one's brave enough to explore it, and I exist in a world where's there's phones instead of Den Den Mushi."

"…Your world sounds like it sucks." Luffy's voice was unreadable.

"Yeah, it does sometimes." Conan chuckled. "But it's where my home is, my home is where Rachel, Dr. Agasa, my parents, and my friends are. I'm sorry Luffy-san…but I can't join your crew…I'm a detective, apart of law enforcement, but more than that…I'm from a different world. And I intend to go home." Conan glared at the Admiral. "And no one is standing in my way."

"Touching confession, after you double-crossed me, I didn't think you'd have it in you. What do you think of his story, Strawhat?" Aokiji inquired, ignoring the surprised look on Conan's face.

"…Conan, do you really come from a different world? Is your name really Jimmy Kudo?"Luffy asked carefully.

"Yeah it is." Conan nodded.

"Did you really meet my crew members?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah. I met Brook-san first, he helped me escape from a man named Smoker and his assistant, Tashigi-san. Then we got sucked into a whirlpool and was rescued by Chopper-kun, who was flying by on a giant bird. After that, I escaped and met Franky-san, who got captured along me and Sentomaru by Blackbeard; we were tortured and almost died. I'm sorry for what happened to your crewmate, it was my fault he got hurt. We were picked up by CP9, where Lucci made that deal with me about Marguerite-san. I don't know if what he said about Marguerite-san was true, but apparently, he says they were childhood friends. Then I met Ussop-san, who was on an island of man-eating plants, he had very amusing stories. Then I met Robin-san, who was with Monkey D. Dragon-san; I met both your father and grandfather, they're very nice and interesting people. You aren't much like them. Then I stole a flying ship and accidentally crashed into Nami-san's house; we had a bumpy start, but we managed to get off the island after we fixed the ship. Then I got sick, and we had to stop at the island Sanji-san was on; then we met Zoro-san, after I confronted Dr. Vega Punk. Then I met you on Amazon Lilly. That's the story Luffy-san." Conan explained.

"…That's the truth?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah, it is." Conan nodded.

"You better tell me everything later then!" Conan and Aokiji looked at the rubber boy in shock. "It can't be helped if you have to go back to your home world, so you'll be like Vivi! An honorary Strawhat member, who promise to always be friends with us!"

"Y-You believe me…?" Conan was astonished.

"Of course! No matter where you go, you'll always be my nakama! And nakama always believe in each other! No matter how crazy our lives sound! Shishishi!" Luffy laughed. "Saa! Now that that's cleared up! Let's beat the crap out of these guys and get out of here!"

"Luffy-san…" Conan couldn't help but let out a huge grin of his own. "Sounds good!"

"Touching, but unfortunately, neither of you will be going anywhere." Aokiji sighed at the pirate's stupidity. Conan glared, he didn't know what the hell he could do, but he'd buy as much time as he could for Luffy's arm to thaw. "Besides…aren't you forgetting little detective…you don't have much longer anyways. Just hand yourself over to me…I won't make your death painful, just long."

"Urusai! Don't talk about my nakama like that!" Luffy shouted.

"I'm not just saying it Strawhat…it's the truth. What Conan said about being from a different world is true, and if you have trouble believing it, his deteriorating health is proof enough. Conan can't survive in this world, because it's not the same as his world; it's essence, it's core, even the way people live here is completely different from his own, that'd be impossible for his body to adapt here. It's literally putting a gold fish in an aquarium of salt water; it's body and lungs can't handle the changes, so it dies. This situation is no different. Edogawa-kun…how many of those pills do you have left?" Aokiji looked at the boy.

"You know about those?" Conan demanded.

"Eh. Donflamingo has been conversing with Tsuru the whole time, and as you know VegaPunk worked with Garp to set you up. It was only natural for that information to spread. I'd expect that everyone who's looking for you, knows about your health condition. From what I've heard, you sacrificed three of those pills not for yourself, and you'll need to save the last one for when you truly need it. If by some miracle, that need ever come." The admiral shrugged.

"Oi! Bastard!" Luffy got Aokiji's attention. "How long does Conan have? And what do you mean Gramps knows about this?"

"I'd say 48hrs at best." Aokiji replied. "So that's why I say it doesn't matter anymore, just hand yourselves over, and your useless struggle will end."

"It's not a useless struggle!" Conan shouted. "I've come this far in this crazy world! I've survived crazy Navy-bastards, sea monsters, Shichibukai, pirates, and everything else that's been thrown at me! Don't think for a second, I'm stopping now!" Conan huffed. "I've struggled for over two years in my own universe! I've been fighting even when I was turned into a kid by the Black Organization, when a gun was held to my head, even when everything was ripped from me I never stopped struggling! And I won't stop struggling until I crush them!" Conan stood straight, and aimed his taser. "I won't stop Aokiji-san…no matter what."

"So despite all this…you still want to live? No matter how hopeless your situation is?" Aokiji raised a brow.

"My will to live has never once wavered, not even when I was dragged here." Conan replied.

"YATTA! You have to be apart of my nakama!" Luffy cheered. "My nakama never give up!"

"You're right Luffy-san…I won't give up…" Conan aimed his taser. "I'll never give up."

"My, my…it seems as though I have no choice." White steam emitted from the admiral's body. "Then I will do my duty as an Admiral, and bring judgement of Absolute Justice."

"Absolute Justice." Conan scoffed. "The only thing I've seen so far is Absolute Politics."

**BBBBBBBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

Conan and Luffy were thrown back, Conan cushioned Luffy's fall so his arm wouldn't break; luckily, it was starting to thaw. Brushing the debris off themselves, they peered ahead to see what had caused the explosion. What they saw, shocked them. There was Marguerite, Keimi, Hachi, Pappug, and some large shark-mermaid they didn't recognize, riding a scarred hump-back whale, leading a group of Sea Kings. They had come from the center of the room, so the room wasn't totally collapsed, but it was getting there. Water was spurring everywhere, and it wouldn't be long until this place was flooded. Thinking quickly, Conan shouted. "Marguerite-san! Luffy-san can't move! Shoot an arrow over here to grab him!"

"Got it! You grab on too!" She yelled and shot the arrow.

"No! I have to find Shirahoshi-san! Get Luffy-san into the whale's mouth; his arm's been frozen and it needs to thaw!" Conan had an afterthought. "That thing's tame right?"

"Labboon!" Luffy cheered. "I didn't know you were here!"

"You know that whale?" Conan asked. Seeing the whale's friendly expression confirmed the detective's suspicions.

"Sure! My crew and I met him awhile back! He's also a friend of Brook's old crew when he was alive!" Luffy explained.

"Ah." Conan nodded and tied the arrow around the rubber boy's face. "Marguerite-san pull!"

"Right!" She yelled.

"OI!" Luffy realized he was tricked, but was too late and pulled into Laboon's mouth. "Conan!"

"Sorry! Everyone be on alert! Decken-san's unconscious and Admiral Aokiji-san's still around here somewhere!" He shouted.

"Got it! Also, we have the diary!" Marguerite shouted.

"Great! I'll-" Conan was cut-off by an ice-saber at his back. Slowly, the detective turned to the ice admiral; he was bleeding in several places, and was clutching his left eye.

"Be quiet, and follow me." Aokiji growled.

"…Marguerite-san catch!" Without warning, Conan pulled the queen's diary from under his shirt, and kicked it to the girl. "Have Shirahoshi translate both diaries! I'll be back soon!"

"Wait Conan-kun!" Marguerite shouted, catching the book.

"Where are you going?" Pappug shouted.

"I thought I saw something! I-I'll be right out! Come find me in fifteen minutes if I don't return!" Conan instructed. "Stay with Shirahoshi-san until then!"

"But-"

"See you in a bit!" Conan was dragged away by the admiral.

After a few minutes of walking down a random corridor, they came across something strange. It was another alter, a much older, traditional alter, it looked like it was built from the Roman empire. Conan blinked, wondering what this place was.

"This isn't my first time down in these parts." Aokiji spoke up, getting the detective's attention. "I'm sure you know why I asked you to come down here, and I'm sure you know what this place means to me."

"You and Nico Olivia had a private marriage ceremony here. Does that mean…Neptune-san knew?" Conan asked.

"No…his wife did…Otohime-sama had ordained our marriage, and had several people sign the certificate as witnesses. Our identities were protected till the very end, to this day, I haven't let that piece of paper go. No matter how insignificant it was." Aokiji explained.

"It's no insignificant if it's important to you, Aokiji-san." Conan frowned.

"Oh please!" Both jumped when awkward footsteps came in. Aokiji glared, while Conan tensed up with wide eyes. "The only things that are important, are what's entertaining! Entertainment makes the world go round! No matter what world you're from, Kudo-kun!" Donflamingo stepped out of the shadows, pulling a large, round body with him.

Conan almost had a heart attack. "JINBE!"

**Don't panic, I'm not separating Conan from the group; I'm just giving Aokiji and Conan some room to talk about Olivia (it'd be bad if Robin found out in this fic). The battle's going to happen next chapter (between Donflamingo vs. Private-message-me-if-you-want-to-know), I won't give away anymore than that. Sorry if anyone seemed out of character, but I reall****y had no idea how Luffy would respond to this situation normally, he's one of the hardest people ever to keep in character. I'd say there's about two or three chapters left for Fishman Island, and then the Void Ruins arc. PM me if you have any particular questions or want to discuss anything. Thanks!**


	39. The True Culprit

**Hey guys! Here's the next chapter for yah! And I am happy to announce that this will be the finishing point of Fishman Island, the next chapter will be getting Conan, Luffy, and the the rest of the group to the Void Ruins**. **In this chapter, Conan confronts Donflamingo and Aokiji, and it's revealed just what the deadly shichibukai was doing in the middle of my plot to begin with. I actually am quite proud of how I concluded this chapter, it's not as awesome as a Case Closed ending, but I hope you guys consider it a close second. Don't forget to vote for your selected Black Organization character, Void Ruins will start in the next two chapters. Thanks! Read, enjoy, review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed**

The detective was frozen on the spot; his glasses frantically scanned Jinbe's body. Relief washed over the boy momentarily when he saw that his vital signs were all right, the fishman was merely unconscious. Re-shifting his focus, Conan stood carefully; he was between an Admiral and a Shichibukai who both wanted him dead, and he was pretty much defenseless against them.

"What are you doing here, Donflamingo?" Aokiji asked. "And what did you do to Jinbe? That wasn't part of the plan."

"He wanted to ruin the fun, I didn't want him to." The taller man shrugged and turned to the detective. "You're on odd little boy; as unbelievable as this situation is, Jinbe-kun here, still decided to side with you and look for an alternative that didn't involve a huge war. WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU DO THAT?" The man jumped up and got into a crouching position; his normal sick grin on his face.

"Jinbe-san knows everything then…" Conan glared.

"Eh. And you still wishes to help you, despite you being a liar and a traitor." He smirked.

"What are you talking about? I never betrayed anyone." Conan had a bad feeling about this.

"Wrong detective." Aokiji spoke up. "Or are you purposely forgetting, like you do with your own girlfriend at home; transforming back into your adult form at certain times, claiming to forget to call her, to met up with her…? That kind of thoughtlessness detective?"

"Leave Rachel out of this!" Conan swung his arm. "And what are you talking about? I never betrayed you!"

"Ahaha! He still denies it Admiral! Even now!" Donflamingo laughed.

" You told." The admiral said simply. "I'll freeze you here, to spare you a painful execution; be grateful."

"Aokiji-san!" Conan ducked away from the ice shot at him. He managed to leap up onto a low-rise pillar, and perched himself there. "Aokiji-san! I don't know what you were told, but I never said anything about your secret!"

"Sure…it was just a coincidence that Donflamingo blackmailed me with it, the second you escaped from Mariejois." The admiral replied, getting ready for another attack.

"…What?" Conan turned to the Shichibukai in anger. "You did what…?"

"You can't exactly say it was unexpected detective; while it's true I practice client-privilege-confidentiallity, I only practice up until it either gets boring or a liability. You became a liability very quickly, detective." Donflamingo shrugged. "So I simply told Aokiji-san, that his confidentiality had been breached."

"You have some nerve, Kudo." The admiral growled.

"You…" Conan hissed at the shichibukai. "You set me up! You already knew about Aokiji-san and Olivia-san's relationship, which meant you also already knew…"

"Knew what?" Donflamingo smirked, daring the boy to say.

The boy bit his tongue form saying any more, for you really didn't know how much the Shichibukai knew about the admiral's secret. "Aokiji-san…what exactly did Donflamingo-san tell you?"

"That you broke into the record archives of the Slave Auction House, and stole the records. You apparently dropped them in the midst of the chaos, and that's how he confronted me." Aokiji replied.

"First of all Aokiji-san…that explanation's bull and we both know it; you're going after me because you don't want a huge revolution to go down, and you're terrified I'll tell…your secret." Conan chose his words carefully. "Just shows that the world's strongest men are only as strong as their weaknesses."

"It's the truth of any man or woman, that doesn't mean it's in your right to spread that weakness." Aokiji countered.

"Tell that to the man, over there." He pointed at Donflamingo. "I don't know how much Donflamingo knows about your secret, I don't know how much he knows about you and Olivia, but I sure as hell didn't tell him. I didn't and won't tell anyone!"

"How the hell can I trust you?" The admiral demanded.

"Because I have a damned secret too obviously!" The detective yelled. "Do you think anyone in my world know that I'm an adult trapped in a kid's body? I've had to lie to almost everyone I know for the past two years! Don't you dare say I wouldn't keep your secret!" The two larger males looked at the boy in the panting boy. "I know what it's like to live a life in secret, and I know what it's like to have a secret that you want to tell your loved one, but can't. You know it'll do nothing but hurt them, and you feel powerless to do anything else, other than secretly watch over them. Which reminds me…Aokiji-san, I have something to give back to you."

The detective got off the pedestal, and walked slowly over to the admiral, he reached into his pocket and under his jacket and pulled some pictures and documents out. "I'm returning these to the proper authority."

"These are…" The admiral was speechless, Donflamingo frowned.

"Eh. They're undeniable proof of who the Gorosei are and what they want." Conan finished. "I already got all I needed from them, so they're no longer useful to me."

"…You're not giving this to pirates or revolutionaries?" The admiral asked.

"I'm a detective admiral; at the end of the day, I'm nothing but a law-abiding citizen. Those came from the Mariejois grounds, so only the proper authority can either return them or dispose of them. I haven't told my findings to anyone, that much I promise." Conan explained.

"…Kudo…how did you get the sale record of Olivia?" He asked.

"Donflamingo-san over there, took a starfish named Pappug-san hostage; while it's true I found the records myself, he demanded to know which slave I was looking up. I had to choose between a small bit of privacy and someone's life, it was nothing personal." Conan explained.

"No, I understand completely." White steam emitted from his body and turned to the Shichibukai. "You don't know my secret either, do you Donflamingo? You were trying to trick Conan into saying it out-loud, then you'd have an admiral as your personal guard dog; how hilarious."

"Hehe…I didn't expect you to be so sharp, Kudo. I guess when you say world's greatest detective, it isn't for show is it?" Donflamingo chuckled. "Yep! The truth is the detective here, never betrayed your trust, I was just hoping you'd be dumb enough to believe long enough to permanently set the revolution!"

"Bastard! That's why you came to this island, to make sure I don't get to the Void Ruins!" Conan accused.

"O contrare detective!" Donflamingo pointed a finger up. "I wanted to force you to the Void Ruins early before those damned diaries were translated! Otherwise you couldn't get home, you'd die a bloody death anyways, and an amazing revolution would take place that would decide the world! It's leterally come down to a tug of war over a pitiful detective! It's hilarious!"

"So you're here for me." Conan tensed; if he went now, he was a dead man. He needed Luffy and Jinbe's help, and he needed the diaries translated so he could get home. "What was the point in attacking Jinbe-san?"

"As I said, he wanted to spoil my fun." Donflamingo smirked. "Now then, you have limited options, that you're aware of. Come with me, or I'll kill everyone here."

"Donflamingo." Aokiji interjected. "What makes you think I'll let you get away with this?"

"What? You're actually going to go against me?" The shichibukai laughed. "Look around Aokiji! It's over! Whether you disclose your secret to me or not, that doesn't change the fact that Kudo's fate is sealed, and it sure as hell doesn't stop the war!"

"No it doesn't." Conan spoke up. "You're right when you say it doesn't change the fact that there's a battle waiting for us at the Void Ruins, but my fate isn't sealed. I promised Luffy-san."

"What? Now you're a member of the Strawhat crew?" Donflamingo laughed.

"No; even if I was from this world, I wouldn't deserve such an honor." The boa man frowned. "Luffy-san and his crewmates are strong, hard-working, honest, people, who don't deceive anyone or anything to get something done. I, on the other hand, am so weak…that my own name could kill me."

"Hmph! Still though! Admiral! We're still on the same side aren't we? Fighting for the sake of the Gorosei and World Government! You have an obligation Admiral, don't make me report otherwise." Donflamingo grinned.

"You…" Aokiji growled. "Kudo…I…I'm sorry…I have no choice."

"What do you mean? Aokiji-san?" Conan exclaimed. "He just admitted I didn't betray you!"

"You shouldn't have officially aligned yourself with the Strawhats!" The admiral snapped. "By doing that, you've officially went against Absolute Justice in front of an Admiral, in which case, I…have no choice but to bring you in. I hate this bastard, Kudo, I really do, but I have my duties as an Admiral to uphold."

"So upholding your duties means hurting the very people you claim to protect?" Conan growled. "As I said, this world isn't run by Absolute Justice, it's run by Absolute Politics; I doubt you and your colleagues even know what justice actually means. The only thing I've seen of your justice system, is that it's run by a bunch old-chrome bastards, who masquerade themselves using artificially-created aristocrats. Followed by bastards like Donflamingo, who run the entire underground slave trading, in which the World Government endorses openly. The only true power the Navy has is being an attack dog for these bastards; tell me Aokiji-san…are you Donflamingo's attack dog? Tell me Aokiji-san…what would Olivia-san want? Would you kill her again if she were with me? Think of her dammit!"

"Urusai." Aokiji clenched his hands. "Do you think I don't know that? The very same justice system I worked for forced me to kill the love of my life! Don't you dare scold me about what's wrong with it! My own lover, own wife, couldn't trust me to keep her secret, couldn't trust me to support her research into the Void Century! This damned system's destroyed many lives! Not just mine…"

"Would you have turned Olivia in, Admiral?" The shichibukai asked, finding this scene amusing, Conan glared as the man laughed.

"I don't know Donflamingo-san…would you have turned yourself in, if the Gorosei knew you were exploiting secrets?" Conan smirked at the faltering face. "You really are a tough opponent Donflamingo-san, one of the worst I've had actually, but there is a difference between you and the those Men in Black…" Conan reached into his pockets, and pulled out receipts. "You're an easy person to get dirt on."

Clenching his teeth, the Shichibukai glared. "When did you…?"

"While I was looking for Nico Olivia-san's file, I happened to come across something interesting…as a successful entrepreneur, I'm right to assume you had Disco-san hide your unofficial book-keeping that didn't have to do with slave-trading, however…you were is arrogant in your thinking, that you didn't think anyone would find it. If Disco-san had been any more intelligent, that might have been the case…but, he wasn't." Conan's smile turned into a glare. "These receipts are the transactions that the Gorosei have been paying you personally to keep quiet; at first I was suspicious of their authenticity, but when you made a desperate threat against Nami-san I knew it was real. You followed me to Weatheria because you knew somehow I had gotten the receipts, or at the very least suspected it; with my clothes changing frequently ans well as my imprisonment always changing , you were confident enough to leave me alone again, because the recepts hadn't been found. Your last resort ws to take Nami-san hostage, in hopes that I had screwed up and left the receipts somehow in the flying ship."

"Grr…those receipts could be for anything!" Donflamingo growled.

"True, you guys were to discrete enough to mark undisclosed transactions on the receipts, but that doesn't change the amount of suspicion you'll face from the pirates, underworld, as well as the rest of the World Government if these were to ever be made public knowledge." Conan sighed and walked over to the ice admiral. "I understand that this is official, World Government business, and an outsider like me has no business in handling it. Since the codes about Shichibukai are to do whatever the World Government says, wouldn't an admiral like yourself have the authority to arrest Donflamingo-san on such charges?"

Blinking, the admiral put on a smirk. "My, my…you're right…Kudo-kun, it does."

"Fufffufffu…" Donflamingo laughed. "Only if you bring this brat in obstructing Absolute Justice, Admiral."

"Hmmm….Kudo-kun, you didn't actually align yourself with the Srawhats did you? You're not an actual pirate are you?" Aokiji asked.

"Nope." Conan smirked.

"And you obviously don't live on any islands in this world, so no laws regional or international would effect you. And you didn't show these receipts to anyone correct…? The admiral pried.

"No one has seen those receipts except for the three of us." Conan nodded.

"Then no justice was obstructed; Donquixote, you're finished." White steam emitted from the admiral. "You have no idea how long I've waited for this."

"I can guess." Donflamingo yanked Jinbe's head up, and put a finger to the fishman's throat. "However, what are they going to say that I was forced to kill a fellow Shichibukai?"

"You!" Conan gritted his teeth; he forgot about Jinbe!

"Besides…you dare hold that over me, I'll tell everyone about you and Olivia-san, Admiral. And guess who I'll tell first, I'll give you a hint…she might be related to you-" The shichibukai jumped back a few feet, abandoning the unconscious Jinbe; Conan ran over to the fishman's side, trying to stay out of the way. I replaced the area Donflamingo was in. "Fuffuffu…an interesting reaction, Admiral. Does that mean it's true?"

"ICE TIME!" Aokiji touched the ground, and ice soon covered the whole cavern. Conan noted that even being near the ice was cold; they didn't call him the blue pheasant for nothing. Donflamingo pointed his fingers at the admiral, bending his middle and pinking. Aokiji's head snapped off.

"AOKIJI-SAN!" Conan shouted. But his panic died when his head regenerated from the ice.

"What?" The admiral quirked a brow at the boy, who was twitiching annoyance. It was then it hit both the Admiral and Conan, this was the first time he was actually watching a fight between two devil fruit users. "My devil fruit is a logia; the vessels become the embodiment of the particular element; mine happens to be ice. Don't think anything of it."

"Ah. What's yours, the Chilly-Chilly fruit?" Conan asked sardonically.

"Eh, it is. Good guess." Aokiji sent an ice fist at Donflaminog, who bent two other fingers, cutting off Aokiji's left arm. Conan didn't know why, but for some reason, it pissed him off that Aokiji could just casually regrow limbs.

"This is a fairly pointless fight isn't it Admiral?" Donflamingo laughed, as he dodged incoming icicles. "This is too small of a cavern for a logia-type to fight properly, plus…I can do this." He pointed his fingers at Conan.

'Crap!' He put himself over Jinbe, bracing himself. But when no involuntary body movement came, he opened his eyes and widened at what they saw. Aokiji stood in front of them, and had shot a string made of ice across Donflamingo's fingers. Conan blinked, kicking himself for not seeing this weakness sooner. 'So that's it; you have to be in Donflamingo-san's line of sight in order for his power to work.' A thought snapped through his head. 'I get it! It's his fingers and how bends them! Literally each muscles movement controls one particular motor function in the body! But like a brain…it has to be activilly telling the muscles what to do; this is no different. Aokiji-san must've saw this, and exploited it.' Aokiji glared, and pulled the string back.

SLICE! The frozen middle finger on the left hand of the boa-man fell; it was so badly iced over, that blood didn't even spurt. "GAH!" The boa-man retracted his hand, cradling it; from his reaction, Conan could tell that the Shichibukai hadn't been in physical pain in awhile. Seeing as how Aokiji made an ice saber, The detective decided to interject.

"Wait Aokiji-san!" Conan yelled.

"What?" The admiral turned to the boy, who ran up to him.

"If Donflamingo-san dies, so do the salves under the auction house's control; an illegal underground operation like that will panic if they lose their leader, you also expose any marine who corresponded to Donflamnigo at all. As much as I hate to admit this, the Black Market has it's uses for some things, otherwise top officials wouldn't support it. A Black Market needs to be taken down carefully, not bluntly, otherwise everything else will fall with it." Conan explained.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Aokiji raised a brow.

"Actually I have a proposition that I think satisfies everyone." The detective smiled. "Donflamingo-san…" He got the Shichibukai's attention. "How do you feel about keeping Aokiji-san's secrets, in exchange for keeping your own." The boa man stood up, frowning. "You've had your fun, and got a god fight out of it, there's no reason for you to be unsatisfied at this point."

"What are you proposing exactly?" The Shichibukai growled.

"Aokiji-san keeps the receipts, as well as anything he learns in correspondence from me or anyone else about the Gorosei. In exchange, you eliminate human slave-trading, keep the records of the victims sealed, and keep Aokiji-san's secrets. I think Real Justice should be introduced to this world. Aokiji-san can do that with this kind of leniency, right?" Conan gave the admiral a mirthful smile.

"That'd be more than possible." Aokiji nodded in agreement.

There was a tense silence between the three men, until finally, Donquixote spoke. "Well…I'll be damned; I lost. Not to a pirate, not to a marine…but to a detective. I used every single trick I had in the book against you, but you still got checkmate in the end. How'd you hide the receipts?"

"A great friend of mine said, a magician never reveals his secrets." The boy shrugged.

"Fair enough Kudo…fair enough." Donflamingo turned his heels and walked out. "I'll see you on the battlefield, detective; don't think I'll go easy on you." With that, the Shichibukai vanished into the dark cavern of the cave, leaving the detective and admiral to their thoughts.

After a few tense moments, the ice admiral broke the silence. "Kudo-"

"Call me Edogawa." Conan interrupted with a smile. "I don't know why, but…the name Edogawa fits me in this world. Really, I've actually grown quite attached to my alias."

"Is that so? That's good." Aokiji shrugged. "Tell me, how did you hide the receipts from Donquxiote?"

"Ah. It switched every time I had to change clothes." Conan said pleasantly, and proceeded to explain. What the admiral was shown threw him; he never would've thought of that. "I was lucky enough where most of my clothes in this world had cuff-lings on them, so I lined the receipts with the shape of the cuffling itself, even matching the lighting on its coloration." He pointed to the clothing part innocently. "Other times, I lined them with the rim of my glasses; my belt was too obvious."

"I see…" This kid really was a genius. "If you had the receipts all along, why didn't you use those against Donquixote to begin with?"

"It's called a trump card for a reason, Aokiji-san." Conan smiled. "I honestly just happened to come across them by chance, but I've done enough financial investigations in my world to recognize embezzlement when I see it; trust me…with those receipts, Donflamingo-san won't ever open his mouth. If I had revealed it earlier, it would've given him time to do a counter-measure, and he could've used Nami-san's life against me as a trade."

"Interesting…this really is checkmate for you, isn't it?" The admiral admitted respect for the detective.

"No." Aokiji looked at him in surprise. "Just check; checkmate is when I get home safely."

"Ah. You're right." With a breath, the admiral did something surprising- he kneeled. "Thank you, Detective Kudo."

"Oi! What are you doing? This is embarrassing!" Conan looked around waving his hands frantically.

"Despite all you've been through, you though enough of this world to concoct this resolution. This way, everyone keeps their reputations, and secrets are safe. I am also indebted to you; you kept my secret despite my accusations, I really don't know how to thank you." Aokiji stood up; the look of sadness and regret adorned his face. "And most of all…you prevented me from failing my daughter once again…thank you."

"I didn't make the deal for your benefit." Conan put his hands in his pockets. "I made the deal because Donfalmingo-san was one of the biggest obstacles from me getting home, nothing more. The solution I came up with, just happened to work in everyone's benefit. Aokiji-san…" The admiral faced him. "Even as a detective in my adult form, my abilities to save my own world are so limited, this experience has truly pushed me to every limit I had, and it showed me what I'm truly capable of. In saying that, I'm asking you, as an Admiral of the Navy, to protect this world from the evil you feel powerless to stop. If a detective, trapped in a kid's body, from a different universe, can waltz in here and form a crazy solution like this, how farfetched is it for a veteran marine to come up with a solution? That devil fruit you have, doesn't hurt either."

"That's true." Aokiji nodded. "You've been fighting the same battle with the Black Organization, haven't you?"

"You mean how I feel powerless most of the time, yeah." Conan nodded. "So…are you coming with us to the Void Ruins, Aokiji-san?"

"Sounds good. Strawhat isn't gonna like it though." Aokiji pointed out.

"I'm sure Luffy-san will be understanding." Conan reassured.

"CONAN-KUN!" Marguerite yelled. "Are you in there?"

"OI! CONAN! GET BACK HERE!" He heard Luffy yell, he sounded pissed.

"Ah! I'm over-" Conan's voice cut-off when his air supply suddenly stopped. Conan fell to his knees, clutching his chest.

"Edogawa-kun! What's wrong?" Aokiji went to the boy's side, but that was when it hit the admiral; the boy's health problems! "How many pills to you have left? Edogawa!" He hoisted the boy into a neutral sitting position, careful of his head.

"W-What's going on…?" Aokiji turned to see Jinbe, who had finally regained conscious. That was when the fishman noticed the detective. "OI! What are you doing, Aokiji?"

"BASTARD! GUM GUM NO PISTOL!" Aokiji didn't have enough time to react, Luffy's punch sent him flying.

"Conan-kun!" Marguerite cradled the boy's head in her lap. "This is bad! His body's temperature is rising to fast! His breathing irregular! Conan-kun! What's wrong?"

"P-Pill…!" Conan manged to gasp out. His lungs were on fire, and he was starting to black out. HE knew he wasn't going to be conscious for much longer. He gripped Marguerite's hand. "T-Trust A-Aok-ki-ji-s-san!" His grip fell, and the boy passed out.

"CONAN!" Luffy's panicked yell was heard through the whole cavern.

"THE PILL!" Aokiji shouted out, Luffy and Jinbe got in front of Conan and Marguerite. "Strawhat! There's a pill somewhere in his utility belt, if he doesn't swallow it, he'll die!"

"Why should I believe you?" Luffy yelled.

"Because that's the only choice you have! Or are you just gonna let your cremate die?" Aokiji demanded.

Luffy retracted from that, and glanced back at the unconscious detective. Clenching his fists, Luffy looked at the admiral's eyes directly. "He dies from this suggestion, I'll finish you."

**Meanwhile**

A lone figure in black stood at the top of a clock tower; its eyes and its manic grin were the only thing visible.

"We trust that you know what you're doing?" Akainu asked.

"I'm a professional." Was all the figure said.

**Review please! Hope you enjoyed this! Also, after this chapter, I'm kicking it into One Piece pace, because pretty much, the whole plot's been setup by this point, and One Piece has a much better pace for battle and war scenes. I really don't have any idea how long the Void Ruins arc will be, but I'll try my best not rush it or drag it out. If you have questions, comments, discussions, or concerns, PM me!**


	40. Countdown Begin

**Hey guys! Finally, after months of waiting, the final chapter before the Void Ruins Arc has arrived! I wanted to capture the premise completely before jumping into the war scenes and fighting, so this chapter ended up being longer than most. I honestly haven't done any planning or thinking about who's fighting who, nor has the BO member been decided yet. The BO member will show up either next chapter or the one after that, either way, I'm thinking the Void Century is going to be about four chapters. But again, not sure. I apologize to my readers who requested that I start the arc this spring break, but I was having a personal crisis/meltdown, and I honestly didn't want to rush it; this chapter took me a while to write. So anyways, read, enjoy, review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed**

Conan groaned and struggled to open his eyes, he looked around himself, his eyesight fairly bleary. He was connected to a breathing machine, and an IV was in his arm? The boy struggled to sit up; was he in a hospital? Frowning, he struggled to move, and tried to gather his surroundings; he was in a marine-style hospital room, with every single fish and mermaid style furniture setting possible for a hospital room. SMASH! Conan snapped his eyes over to the direction of the sound, sighing when he saw a mermaid nurse, she swam out of the room as quickly as she came in. So he was still in this strange universe, huh? The physical pain his body experienced was worse than any 24-hr antidote Haibara could come up with.

"CONAN!" Luffy launched himself into the room, but was pulled back abruptly by Jinbe.

"Easy Luffy-kun! His body is still fragile, and if too much pressure is put on him, it could do further damage!" Jinbe scolded.

"Indeed." Marguerite and the others filed into the room; the others being Pappug, Keimi, Hatcahn, and Aokiji. The blonde spoke again. "It's best if he's not moved for now."

Conan went to pull off the breathing machine. "How…much do you know?"

"I told them everything." Aokiji sighed. "You have exactly twenty-four hours to live Edogawa, if you want to get home, as well as live…we need to get moving."

"You need to tell me how you met all my crew-mates still!" Luffy bounced. "But I still don't like you." He said at the Admiral.

"The translations…did Shirahoshi-san…?" Conan felt almost too weak to talk.

"Ah." Jinbe pulled them out and handed them to the boy. "Don't strain yourself."

"No choice on that Jinbe-san." Conan replied, struggling to sit up. Luffy frowned, and walked over to help support him.

"There's always a choice." Luffy said bluntly.

Looking at the rubber boy, Conan cracked a smile and nodded. "You're right, there is."

"We need to get moving, if we go full speed, we should reach the Void Ruins in 14hrs." Aokiji said in urgency.

"We…need a ship." Marguerite tried to argue.

"We've already got one; that ship Van Decken stole, is required for your voyage anyways, Edogawa." Aokiji replied. "I read the translations, we need Noah."

"His Majesty will be so upset about it." Pappug mumbled.

"It can't be helped, Conan-kun needs it to get home. Right, Aokiji-sama?" Keimi looked at the Admiral.

"Aokiji's fine, and yes, he does need that ship in particular." The admiral finished. "No one else other than Neptune looked at the transcripts; the King's diary has been placed under the Palace's protection, and Marguerite-chan here, has the Queen's Diary."

"Don't call me Marguerite-chan! Unworthy male!" The blonde snarled.

"Whatever." Aokiji grunted.

"Conan-kun. What are you thinking?" Jinbe asked.

Putting down the papers, Conan turned to his group. "We need to get going…apologize to King Neptune for taking the ship…and thank Shirahoshi-san…." The detective was starting to drift off again.

"I don't understand, isn't the medicine supposed to keep him sustained?" Jinbe asked the admiral.

"It must be because his system's too far gone; not to mention, he's probably been pushing himself mentally, so his body hasn't had time to register it's own physical state." The admiral sighed. "He may have 24hrs, but in the state he's in, he's as good as dead."

"NO!" Luffy glared at Aokiji. "I'll save Conan! Just leave it to me!"

"Luffy-kun, this isn't a matter of the admiral taking Conan-kun prisoner, it's about him being sick. He doesn't have much time left." Jinbe said sadly.

"Wait! I have something!" Marguerite piped up. She reached into her Amazonian bag and pulled out an odd-looked fruit. It was a strange, orange-colored, spiked, ball-sponge thing; Marguerite cut it open, and it revealed a light green inside, with a bunch of seeds. "This is called a kiwano; it's used to give us Amazonian fast recoveries if we fall sick during the harvest season."

"It's unlikely to work." The admiral replied.

"It's the only thing we have, and we've got no choice!" Marguerite snapped. "Luffy-san, help Conan-kun swallow this."

"HAI!" Luffy agreed. "Do it!"

Nodding, she cut the half up into edible parts and grabbed a bowel in the room; smashing the pieces into a drinkable juice. "Conan-kun! This'll help you feel better, okay! You need to drink it!" Gingerly, she handed the bowel over to Luffy (who was fighting the urge to drink it, himself). Carefully, with Marguerite's guidance, the Amazonian and pirate managed to get the fruit-juice down the detective's throat.

After a few moments, Conan blinked and sat up by himself. "Thanks! I feel a lot better! Marguerite-san, what's in that fruit?"

"Natural strength properties of Amazon Lilly; it's been growing on the island for as long was we can tell." Marguerite explained. "Just let me know if you need more."

"Will do." Conan smiled.

"I want some!" Luffy reached over Conan's bed and tried to grab Marguerite's bag.

"No, Luffy-san! It's only for emergencies!" Marguerite scolded. "Besides, Conan-kun needs it more than you!"

"Ah, you're right." Luffy pouted but then smiled. "But Conan's better, so everything worked out fine!"

"He's still dying Strawhat, that fruit just gave him an energy boost." Aokiji sweat-dropped.

"No one asked you!" Luffy exclaimed. "Ne Conan, do we really have to work with this guy…he's an admiral."

"Aokiji-san has the most information about the enemy, and with him, we'll have a lot more power and focre on our side than originally. Besides…Aokiji-san…you have no reason to arrest someone who's trying to prevent this world's freedom from being taken away, right?" The detective boy's voice implied: agree with this, or else.

"Hai, hai…I have no reason to arrest anyone here. The situation's gotten so crazy, no one can tell the difference between marines and pirates." Aokiji groaned.

"I'm not a marine." Luffy growled.

"More importantly, now that you're up…take a look at the translations. Tsuru and Sengoku aren't simply going to let you walk away from this, we need to come up with some sort of strategy." The admiral pointed out.

"Agreed." Jinbe nodded. "But let's depart on Noah first, for Conan-kun's sake, we need to move as quickly as possible."

"Right!" Marguerite and Luffy said at the same time.

"I guess that means you'll be going then, huh?" Keimi said sadly. "Will we ever see you again, Conan-kun?"

"…Probably not." Conan looked away sadly, and was suddenly tackled in a group hug by Keimi, Hatchan, and Pappug. "Er…"

"It was so great to meet you, Conan-kun! We'll never forget your kindness!" Hatchan cried.

"Yeah! You'll be forever remembered here!" Pappug cried.

"You're one of the best humans I've ever met!" Keimi cried.

"Err…" Conan's eye twitched but then it softened, this was indeed the last time he'd be seeing them. Hesitantly, he hugged back. "Thanks guys…fore everything."

**Meanwhile- Garp, Tsuru, and VegaPunk at Void Ruins**

Garp refused to face his partners; he couldn't believe just what kind of mess the detective was cleaning up. Donflamingo had called earlier, stating that he'd still fight for the Navy, but he was no longer apart of their alternative. To say they were surprised was the understatement of the century; the main reason why Donflamingo was brought in for their plan to begin with us because he had the best eyes and sources over the world, if the detective would have a hard time rattling anyone, it would've been him. The Shichibukai didn't go into details about why he was no longer participating, but one thing was clear, the other world-detective had found dirt on Donflamingo, and exploited it. Conan had single-handedly defeated The Hero of the Marines, The infamous strategist, and the world's greatest genius in a prolonged chess fight. The boy had Garp's full respect, that much was certain.

"It doesn't matter." Tsuru interrupted his thoughts. "With the boy's time running out, he'll be forced to come to the Void Ruins, in which, we will participate with the Navy in his execution."

"My grandsons and their crews will be there." Garp sighed. "Along with my son and his comrades, and every pirate he's come across will be there. How much they know is unknown, however…they won't let what they belive to be a child die, that much is certain. This won't be that easy."

"We can't afford to confess in this Garp." Tsuru said sharply. "You begged me to come up with a plan to save your grandsons, I did. You didn't question my methods before, I'm not sure why you're doing it now."

"He wasn't a fighter!" Garp slammed his fist on the table. "That boy had nothing but smoke and mirrors, and he still managed to get this far! He was an innocent lad, he did nothing wrong yet…I was willing to sacrifice a person who wasn't even a pirate or a marine. He was a simple lad, upholding the law in his world his own way. I underestimated him."

"We all did." Both marines turned to the scientist. "I know where he'll go, and believe me…what the Navy has prepared for him…he's in for a shock."

Tsuru frowned. "Why were we not informed of this?"

"Simple." VegaPunk laughed. "Sengoku asked me to activate it, but he said that 'if I happened to be' in contact with other parties, not to inform them until necessary." He ignored the haki-filled glares. "We agreed to look fro an alternative, the three of us never pledged loyalty or trust; I simply did what was most convenient for me. Not to mention, the Black Organization is my client too, I had to keep their confidentiality rights in mind."

"How did Sengoku catch wind?" Tsuru demanded.

"Garp's timing." The old marine looked at the scientist in shock. "You made Fire Fist's escape to obvious; you deliberately had the pirate in the same cell block as the detective; their escape was inevitable. Did you really think Sengoku-san wouldn't catch that?"

"…What happens now?" Garp sighed.

"We wait." Tsuru answered. "The revolution to seize the world begins tomorrow, until then, we wait."

**Pirates and Revolutionaries- Arriving at Docks of Void Ruins**

The Strawhat pirates were prepping themselves for the war tomorrow, although they were rather uncertain of their allies. The Revolutionaries were even less excited about it, all things considering. But with Rayleigh, Shanks, Dragon, and Rayleigh took roles as the leaders in this movement, that they had no choice. Robin frowned at the tall and muscular man looking out in to the ocean, his pigeon resting comfortably on his shoulder. Knowing her crew-mates were around her eased the woman's uneasiness, but still…this was the best fighter in CP9.

"Lovely night, isn't it Miss Nico?" Lucci said, startling her.

Walking over to stand beside him, the dark-haired woman spoke. "Why is CP9 assisting us?"

"CP9 isn't. Just me. I have personal business to take care of with that detective." Lucci answered.

"Won't you get fired?" Robin raised a brow.

"No. They think I'm at the Void Ruins right now; they have no idea I'm with you or your comrades. Believe in my words or not, I don't care." Lucci responded. "Now that you're fully aware of the situation, what do you think?"

Robin frowned. "Kudo-kun only has 24hrs to live?"

"Eh. The Navy and World Government Parties will be trying to destroy the Void Ruins themselves, as well as ending the boy's life. It'll be the Pirates and Revolutionaries that fight them and clear the path for the detective. In the state he's most likely in, we can only pray for a miracle." Lucci explained.

"I've never believed in God." Both turned to see Zoro approaching them, with a lazy expression. "The only thing praying does is waste time, that boy doesn't have time to pray and he knows it. He hasn't once stopped moving, and he isn't going to."

"We have an obligation to help him get home." Sanji said next. The rest of the Strawhats joined them.

"We don't know what business you have with Conan-kun, but…you do anything suspicious, and we'll throw you in the ocean." Nami threatened.

"Yeah! No funny business!" Ussop pointed at Lucci.

"You tell him Ussop!" Chopper added.

"What business do you have with the kid anyways?" Franky spoke up.

"Yohoho! That'd be helpful to know!" Brook pointed out.

"…In exchange for releasing him, your crewmate, and Sentomaru…I asked him to find a friend of mine. That's all I'll say." Lucci explained. "With Sentomaru here, we have an advantage disrupting the Kuma army."

"Indeed, although Lucci-san…please explain something to us." Robin said. "This Black Organization…who are they?"

**The Navy Ships- Arriving to the Void Ruins**

Kong looked at his old friend and comrade and sighed. "Why didn't you tell me the full extant of the damage?"

"It wasn't anything personal sir, we were simply embarrassed that a lowly detective boy with no combat ability managed to escape us." Sengoku sighed and sipped his rum. "Besides…with this plan we couldn't have dominated the pirates and Revolutionaries, save the world overnight-"

"At what price Sengoku-san?" Kong stopped him. The Golden Buddha sat silently. "Listen Sengoku…I've been in this business a long time, it took me over forty years, but I went from Chore boy…all the way to Commander-in-Chief. I did it with my own sheer strength and will, not even with the help of Devil fruits. I had hoped we could win this world over just the same, not using underhanded tactics the same as the Gorosei. Besides…how can you possibly trust the Black Organization that way? Are you that desperate to defeat Detective Kudo, Sengoku?"

"It's not about him." Sengoku pursed his lips. "This is about Justice; he's made a fool out of all of us sir, we need to show the Pirates and Revolutionaries that their era is over. If we couldn't do it with Fire Fist, the detective boy will substitute."

"Sengoku…fine." Kong sighed. "I can tell you won't be suaded on this, and it's too late to turn back now, but know this…I can't be your comrade on this Sengoku." The Fleet Admiral looked at his superior in shock. "This boy is not a pirate or revolutionary, and even assisted in upholding justice in his own world; not once, did his principles or determination to survive wither here. He may have made friends with the wrong people here, but he defeated the very best of us. He's earned his right to return home Sengoku, I can't participate in denying that."

"But sir-"

"The role of the Navy is to uphold Absolute Justice of this world, not abuse the justice in other worlds. Do I make myself clear?" Kong frowned.

"Yes sir, I understand that you cannot be my comrade for this mission." Sengoku nodded in defeat. "He was supposed to find One Piece for us, that was it!"

"Sengoku…if it were possible for anyone else other than a true pirate to find One Piece, it already would've been found. Roger was a good man, who lived for freedom and his principles, he single-handedly cleared the way for future generations. Even if Kudo-kun deduced where One Piece was, he'd recognize not reveal its location; it's not his place, nor is it ours." Kong sighed. "I want justice and order to prevail, but I refuse to cheat. I won't be your comrade Sengoku…but I won't be your enemy either."

"Sir…" The afro-man looked at his feet.

"Good luck solider…you're gonna need it." Kong sipped his coffee.

**Meanwhile- Conan's group**

The detective went over the diaries carefully, still not fully-believing what it was instructing. After a few minutes, he placed the books on his lap and turned to his group. "Guys. Let's go to the throne room, we need to give King Neptune a proper thanks and goodbye."

"Indeed." Jinbe nodded. "I dread what his reaction will be when it's said we had to take Noah."

"We don't have a choice. If Conan needs the ship to get home, that's what he needs." Marguerite shrugs. "What's the big deal anyways? Isn't Noah just a huge ship?"

"It's more than that." Conan spoke up. "Boy Joy-san was the King's greatest friend and confident, he sailed the Void King and Queen themselves upon Noah itself, delivering their corpses to their final resting places." He ignored the stares and continued. "Noah is made out of Adam's wood, it's a specific wood that is only found in this universe, it's the only ship that can carry me through that particle portal safely but…it'll most likely dissolve after I reach this universe's limit, and I have no way of predicting of when and where that will be." He bowed to Jinbe. "I'm sorry Jinbe-san…I truly wish it didn't come down to this."

"After all you've done, an old relic isn't much to compare to." The fishman waved it off. "We best break the news to Neptune though, he's not going to be happy."

"Yeah-"

"HEY CONAN! I TOLD NEPTUNE WHAT WE NEED THAT SHIP FOR!" Luffy's voice made him jump. The captain ran into the room happily. "He says he wants to talk to us before we go, so let's hurry!"

"…He has no subtly whatsoever, does he…?" Conan gritted out.

"You get used to it." Jinbe sweat-dropped. "Where's Aokiji-san?"

"He went to get the ship ready." Conan replied. "Come on…let's get our per-execution ritual over with."

Neptune's gaze bore down on the small group, while Luffy glared defiantly. Jinbe was bowing deeply, while Marguerite was in a neutral kneeling position. Shirahoshi and her brothers were also in attendance of the meeting, wanting to see their news friends off…although now they were wondering if it'd be their execution. "So what you're saying is…you need Noah to ride through an invisible but destructive current, and it's your only true way of returning home, but the price will be the ship itself."

"Yes sir." Conan nodded. "The diaries clearly describe the ship getting destroyed. I have no choice."

"…Edogawa-kun…all of us owe you a debt, but what you ask is impossible. That ship was left here by Boy-Joy, a truly remarkable man who-"

"Was the escort of the Void King and Queen…I know." Conan finished for him. "Which is why I'm sorry to do this; as a detective, one of the worst crimes I commit against myself is destroying evidence of history, because then I inadvertently destroy someone's evidence of life. But I have no intention of dying, your majesty. Please understand."

"Edogawa-sama…" Shirahoshi mumbled.

"I'm sorry to have made you cry." The detective turned to the large princess and bowed. "I…after everything that has happened to me, the fact that I'm forced to keep this secret even in my world…ot just enraged me that you took your freedom to speak for granted. So…I'm sorry to have yelled at you like that."

"Iya…you were stressed, Edogawa-sama, it's all right." The princess smiled.

"She's a crybaby anyways, she would've cried no matter what." Luffy deadpanned. After an awkward moment of silence, Jinbe cleared his throat.

"Well…anyways…we need to take our leave now your majesty…please…forgive me if you can." Jinbe stood up, along with the rest of the group.

"the ship would've been destroyed in a few years anyways." Shyarly came out from behind a pillar, with her pipe. "My crystal ball saw a man with a Strawhat use the ship to destroy the island, perhaps it is a good thing the ship is going, Your Highness."

"Shyarly-san." Conan bowed to her. "Thank you so much for your help. Without you…the diary wouldn't have been found."

"It's fine. Just get home safely." The giant mermaid waved him off. "This will be the last time you see anyone here, so make this farewell count."

The detective blinked at her words, but as he was about to reply, Aokiji stepped into the throne room. "The ship's ready, we need to get a move on."

"Ah." Conan nodded and turned to address the rest of the throne room. "Thank you very much for all your help; it was an honor to meet all of you, and I'll never be able to repay your kindness!" Conan bowed and stood up. "So…you'll be the first I say goodbye to, and the first I say…thank you!"

"Good luck on your journey Edogawa-kun." Neptune nodded. "May the forces of the sea be with you!"

"IKUSO!" Luffy cheered. "TO THE VOID RUINS!"

**Whitebeard and Revolutionary ships**

The ships docked and the pirates and revolutionaries alike were preparing for war. The air was tense, and the goal was unclear. All they knew was that they were fighting against the Navy, World Government, and some unknown ally of the Navy whose strengths and weaknesses were unknown; all to protect Conan.

Whitebeard sighed heavily and looked up at the stars. "I don't like this."

"There's not much more that we can do, is there?" Rayleigh smiled alongside the old pirate.

"Hmph! You and that brat, Red-haired set something up, have the gall to ask for our cooperation, and bring in a Shichibukai and CP9 official into our ranks? I only cooperating with you because that brat-detective hasn't shown me he isn't absolute trash yet. Also…if he's done half the things Strawhat's crew has said, then he obviously isn't our enemy. Tell me Rayleigh…what are we supposed to expect tomorrow? How did you know when to gather us here?"

"I asked Jinbe to keep tabs on him and his group, it's been confirmed that the boy, Strawhat, Jinbe, and a girl from Amazon Lilly will be coming tomorrow." Rayleigh was cut-off.

"My brother's with them?" Ace interrupted. He stepped forward along with Marco. "Tell me, is Luffy with them?"

"Eh." Rayleigh nodded. "Conan-kun made allies with Luffy-kun, Jinbe-san, Marguerite-san, and surprisingly, Aokiji-san."

"An admiral?" Marco's eyes were wide. "You're crazy! How can we trust them now?"

"MY brother wouldn't be protecting the brat if he was on the same side as that bastard." Ace defended. "What's the deal Rayleigh? Explain."

"Unfortunately…I can't relay all the details on what exactly, but…it appears as though Donflamingo had some incriminating material about Aokiji-san that had the admiral frozen. The detective boy not only infiltrated Donflamingo's archives, but managed to get even nastier secrets on him." The dark king smirked at their shocked expressions. "In other words, Conan-kun did the impossible even amongst us, he outmaneuvered Donquixote Donflamingo-san, the master of the Underworld."

"So the admiral's fighting because he owes the kid? That makes sense." Ace accepted.

"Does this mean that Donquioxite isn't fighting?" Marco asked.

"Nope. The only shichibukai who aren't fighting would be Jinbe-san, Boa Hancock-san, and Mihawk-san who had allied himself with Shanks." Rayleigh informed. "With the additional support of an admiral, we'll be in fairly god shape, but that doesn't mean we aren't outnumbered or immune to surprise. The Black Organization pose a problem because we have no way of knowing how many are here and what weapons they've assimilated."

"We've got a few surprises of our own." Shanks and Mihawk approached the group. "They're coming in on the biggest ship of them all, Noah."

"What?" Whitebeard raised a brow. "How? Why do they need Noah?"

"Don't know. They need that particular ship for some reason." Shanks shrugged. "We've got bigger problems to worry about."

"Like what?" Ace frowned.

"We don't know what Vice Admiral Garp or Doctor VegaPunk roles will be in this fight, nor do we have any idea whose side they'll be on. Although I'm sure you've predicted Fire-Fist…." Mihawk said.

"I'll have to fight Gramps." Ace grinned. "Fine with me. It'll be payback for all the shit he put me through as a kid."

"This is serious." Mihawk replied. "Vice Admiral Garp, along with Vice Admiral Tsuru, initially started this coup de taut in an attempt to rescue you and Strawhat, now that there's a possibility that his only hope may escape he'll stop at nothing. He truly believes what he's doing is for the best, you need to be ready to face that."

"I got it already!" The younger man snapped.

"What about VegaPunk?" Marco asked changing the subject.

"Since that man is interested in nothing but research and new possibilities, he'll either side with the World Government with the access to those extraterrestrial weapons, or stay out of the fight to avoid death. We honestly can't predict his movements; as for Tsuru she'll definitely be in the fight, that much is certain." The swordsman explained.

"I say we worry about the lad's health more than anything. We need to concentrate on cleaning him a path." Shanks suggested.

"Ah. His health." Whitebeard spoke up. "How much longer does he have?"

"Less than 24hrs." Shanks scratched his head in anxiety. "He needs to get here tomorrow."

"What time will he die exactly, if he doesn't make it to where ever the portal is, in time?" Whitebeard clarified.

"…6pm." Shanks answered grimly. "Dinner time."

"Dinner time indeed." Marco sighed. "How does he intend to get through without running everyone over? Noah is the biggest ship in the world, after all."

"He's a smart kid, he'll think of something." Rayleigh raised his glass to that.

"The only other issue is…any idea where this 'portal', is supposed to form?" Ace pointed out.

"Even I don't know that." Rayleigh frowned and looked up . "Hopefully…Conan-kun's figured out that last step too; we can't carry him any further than this war."

**The Next Morning**

Marines of all ranks and sizes, were dressed, prepped, and bright and early, ready for battle. Sengoku stood at the center of the battalion and stared out into the ancient ruins; the city's structures were old, cracked, aged into ruins, but the familiar language of the Poneglyphs still carved into the stone. Frowning, the Fleet admiral turned to his left and right, Kizaru and Akainu stood respectively at his sides. But it bothered the highest Admiral, Kong had decided not to participate in the fight, and Aokiji was nowhere to be seen.

"Ne, admiral." Donflamingo approached the admiral trio. "I've decided I'll kill everyone I'm allowed to, except for the brat." Sengoku's eyes widened. "What can I say, he interests me, and it wouldn't be any fun if he died." Akainu raised his fist. "Relax, I'll still fight for the World Government, I'm just being selective about the people I kill. This'll be fun!" He walked off, back to his post.

"Bastard…" Akainu growled. "Whatever, this'll be a great opportunity to rid the world of pirate scum."

"Eh…this will be interesting." Kizaru added. "We should destroy as many of these ruins as much as possible; they're evidence of the Forbidden century after all."

"You assume they won't get demolished during the battle itself." Sengoku sighed. His eyes sharpened when he saw the pirates and revolutionaries start forming an attack. "Get ready, they're coming."

Robin bit her lip, resisting the urge to scream and run-off; it killed her that this historical sight would be subjugated to the brutality of war. Unlike Skypia, there was nothing she could do to stop the rampage, all she could do was minimize the damage with whoever she personally fought. She knew here crew-members would be as respectfully to her as possible, but this was war, hesitation would mean a death sentence. She looked at the clock, 8am. They had plenty of time before Conan's time ran out, assuming that they could clear a path and he got here quick enough.

"Get ready." Zoro got her attention, she saw that her crew members had their weapons and bodies ready. Zoro put the sword in his mouth and got into position. "They're coming."

Whitebeard and his men readied themselves and were preparing with some of the Revolutionaries. "When's that brat arriving?"

"Hopefully soon." Shanks sighed.

"Saa…let's get started." Whitebeard flexed his muscles and drew back his fist. "GRAWH!" The fist was thrown, and the inevitable war begun.

**CRACK!**

Sengoku and his admirals didn't bat an eye when the ground started shaking, this was expected. "How like him, to make the first move." Sengoku smirked and called.

"I'll form a path." Akainu kneeled and placed his hands on the ground. Soon enough, lava poured from his body and covered all the cracks and steadied the rumbling from Whiebreard's initial attack. His lava even formed paths across cliffs, pitfalls, and any other obstacles that separated them from their enemies. "GO! MOVE FORWARD!"

The marines roared and charged, this war may have come early, but it was to come.

Whitbeard smirked and took a breath. "GO! TAKE NO PRISONERS!" Sending his men into a frenzy.

Shanks and Rayleigh frowned at the impatient behavior. Now wasn't the time to be hasty.

Watching the lines of fire coming closer and closer to the middle, they were waiting for the guns and swords to clash, but that moment would wait a bit longer.

**BOOOOM!**

Like a geizer, and enormous spiral of water in the underground cove, shot-up and come crashing to the shore, was a giant ship. Everyone was stood still and stayed silent, waiting for the people to come out. After a few moments, everyone heard a beloved cheer, that the whole world had grown to love.

"WE'RE HERE!" Luffy bounded off the ship, with Conan. "WE'RE HERE! Look Conan, you were right! Everyone's here!" His smiled became brighter when he noticed his crew and brother. "HI GUYS! MEET CONAN!" He lifted the boy in front of him, like Simba from the Lion King.

"Luffy-kun…they've met him already." Jinbe and Marguerite jumped off the ship.

"Empress!" Marguerite rejoiced when she saw Hancock. "I have news, the-"

"It can wait." Luffy and the others frowned as they turned to their last ally. "We've got places to be, and if Edogawa is late, then it's over. Right?"

Conan frowned, and got out of Luffy's arms, he clenched his fists and took a breath. "Luffy-san, can you hold me high in the air?"

"Sure!" The pirate captain smiled and lifted him about fifty feet in the air.

"Thanks." Conan smiled and turned to address his audience. "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Conan Edogawa, also known as Jimmy Kudo; I'm a detective from a different universe, who's been transformed back into a kid because of a poison and syndicate organization in my world developed. If you don't believe that, then you won't believe this either: The World Government made a deal with the Black Organization; in exchange for devil fruits the Navy would receive advanced technological weapons that the pirates and revolutionaries would have no way of protecting. That's pretty unfair, isn't it Sengoku-san?" Conan smirked at the seething Fleet Admiral. "I won't lecture the Navy about what Justice is because there is none in the World Government that which controls them, and I have right to speak about freedom that I have no understanding of, but I do know this. The Navy and World Government made a deal with a terrorist group in my world so they could take over both worlds. Whether any of you believe me or not, ask yourselves this: do you want to live in a world without an ocean?"

"NO!" The pirates and revolutionaries cheered.

"Do you want to live without freedom?" Conan asked.

"NO!"

"Do you want to live in a world run by people who are just like the World Government?"

"NO!"

"Then help me escape and fight!" Conan declared. "I'm weak, I have no other strengths other than my deductions, but believe me when I say these bastards have nasty tricks in store for you! If all of you truly value this world as it is, value everything you know as life, then FIGHT! Till all of our last breaths, FIGHT!"

"YAAAAGH!" The pirates and revolutionaries cheered.

Conan smirk turned into a pointed frown. "This isn't just about my life, freedom or justice Sengoku-san…this is about life as we know it. Whoever wins this war can declare a God Victory, let whatever side share in the banquet."

"Hmph. Very well Edogawa-kun…this is war…you'll regret ever coming to this world." Sengoku raised his fist, and the gun shot s went off. The Void Ruins had begun.

**Review Please! Remember, for those of you who haven't voted on the Black Organization member yet, this is your last chance to cast a vote! Otherwise, don't complain about who gets chosen. If anyone has any personal requests about whose fights they want highlighted, let me know! I'm still trying to figure out in my head, how this is gonna work. So PM me if anyone has any questions, comments, or concerns. Thanks!**


	41. Take Cover

**Hey guys! Finally it's up! Okay, there are several things I need to explain- one I really didn't feel like writing this when I did so it awhile for me to get this out, and two- I'm really not used to writing mass-fight scenes like this so I had to organize my thoughts a bit before I started writing (I rarely have to do that). It's the longest chapter I've ever wrote for any fanfic, it took eleven pages on MS word doc; so I'm freakin' exhausted. I don't know how Oda-sama does it; he can focus on so many battles and character at once, where as I, an amateur, can only do a fraction of his quality (even that's a huge stretch). So here's how I'm going to handle this arc, instead of doing general war-scene chaos battles, I took the most significant characters and they are going to battle it our here. The list of the official fights are at the end of the chapter. The last thing I need to say is that the BO character makes his appearance next chapter (yes 'his'), but I'm not saying anything more than that. So without further ado, read, enjoy, review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed**

Whitebeard smirked, that brat may be a liar, but he had a way with words. He turned to his commanders, who were eagerly awaiting orders. "Jozu, you and Vista take the leads with your squads, everyone else, follow after them. Ace, take your brother's crew and meet up with Strawhat, it sounds like you'll fight better together anyways."

"What about you Pops?" Ace frowned.

"I'll be fine, your brother needs you." Whitebeard replied. "Get as many answers as you can out of the brat."

"Right! Thank you!" Ace bowed quickly and ran off towards Luffy. Whitebeard noted that the Strwahat crew was already heading his way too. He wondered briefly where Dragon and the Revolutionaries were.

"Saa…GO! CLEAR THE PATH FOR THE DETECTIVE!" Whitebeard ordered.

"HAAA!" His sons roared and ran off to the battlefield. The old pirate smirked and walked forward, eager to finish this predicted war.

**Conan and Luffy**

Luffy gently set Conan down, and they were met up by Luffy's crew. "LUFFY!"

"YOU'RE ALL RIGHT!" Nami exclaimed.

"GUYS!" Luffy grinned and charged forward, he threw himself into his crew, bombarded by hugs and playful affection. The detective couldn't help but smile, it was heartwarming sight that Luffy's description promised: a kind and warm pirate crew that was a family. It reminded him of just how much he missed his own friends and family.

"Luffy-san!" Marguerite exclaimed, interrupting the reunion. "We have to get Conan to the clock-tower!" The Strawhat crew turned to the blonde woman, Sanji grinned with hearts in his eyes.

"Lady!" Sanji grabbed both of Marguerite's hands. "My fair maiden! What brings you to such an ugly battlefield?"

"Are you belittling me?" Marguerite twitched in annoyance.

"Of course not! But it is my love and duty to protect all ladies!" Sanji declared.

BONG! Marguerite turned away from the blonde cook and back to Conan. "You shouldn't be walking, one of us will carry-"

"He'll only be a hindrance if that's the case." Lucci spoke up, interrupting the group. Everyone turned to the CP9 member nervously. He paid them no mind, and kept his attention on the blonde Amazonian. "Marguerite-chan, glad to see you're doing well."

"What? How do you-" Marguerite cut herself off when she realized that this man was the person Conan wanted her to meet. She got out her bow and aimed it at Lucci. "Who are you? How the hell do you know me?"

"Bastard! You dare bother a lady?" Sanji got in front of Marguerite.

"Ne Zoro, why's this bastard with you guys?" Luffy frowned.

"Like you, we picked up some questionable company." Robin frowned at the Admiral a few feet in front of them. He most likely was giving them room to talk. "Captain-san, we're willing to do whatever it takes to support Edogawa-kun, but we need to know why he needs to get to the clock-tower."

"I don't know. Conan says that's where the portal is." Luffy shrugged. "But you sure we can trust Lucci?"

"We can easily asked the same thing about that ice-bastard." Nami replied. "But we don't have a choice do we?"

"Nope! Conan's our nakama, and it's our job to help him out!" Luffy declared.

"Nakama? Did he join our crew?" Franky asked.

"Nope! Like Vivi he's our honorary nakama!" Luffy declared.

"Luffy…" Nami gave a slight smile. "Fine, let's do it." Meanwhile, the rest of the crew were fighting about whether Lucci and Aokiji were trustworthy. Conan smiled at the exchanges going on between them, he jumped slightly when a hand touched his back.

"You brought her to me, thank you." Lucci said.

"It's what we agreed on Lucci-san." Conan nodded. "…May I ask why you wanted to see Marguerite-san?"

"…I was an orphan who grew up on Water 7, a fighter in an island of shipwrights, Hattori was my only friend." The pigeon poked his head. "One day I was picked up by a girl my age from starving to death, she brought me to her father who took in children and the homeless to rehabilitate them, give them proper job training. Her father was Big Tom, the shipwright who built Gol. D. Roger's ship."

"So Marguerite-san…" Conan's eyes widened.

"Eh. She's Big Tom's daughter, the girl who saved my life, and my childhood friend. Marguerite was born to an Amazonian woman, but she died during childbirth. Amazon Lilly came to retrieve Marguerite when she was old enough, about ten, so it's only natural that she didn't remember me. Regardless if she does or not, I appreciate you reuniting me with her. In return, I'll help you get home." Lucci submitted.

"Lucci-san…thank you for your help!" Conan bowed.

"It's fine, just tell me where you need to go." The CP9 agent responded.

Conan nodded and glared at the tallest structure ahead of them, it was at the edge of a tall cliff, at the edge of the cove. It was a miracle it was still up. 'It's the correct time.' Conan noticed the times on the clock. "The clock tower; it's face was on the king and queen's hiding places."

"You serious?" Marguerite went over to the two. "There's no way that clock-tower's…" Upon further inspection, the Amazonian found out the the boy was right. Where they found the diaries, wasn't a picture of a compass, it was the face of this clock tower. Skypia-noon or midnight, Raftel- 3pm, Fishman Island- 6pm, and Alabasta- 9pm; that was true identity of Conan's passage and the King and Queen's hiding place.

"My God." Robin gasped and turned to address Conan. "Is it true, the diagrams, they're the face of the clock-tower?"

"Yes, they are." Conan sighed and reached into his jacket. He handed to the papers to Robin who stared at the boy in confusion. "They're the translations of the diaries, please consider it my apology. I know I shouldn't have looked up information on you, but an apology is better late than never served."

"Indeed." Robin nodded curtly, and put away the papers. "The Strawhats will be happy to assist you, Edogawa-kun."

"GREAT!" Luffy brought everyone else forward. "So what's the plan?"

"We head to the clock-tower." Conan repeated. "We need to stick together, but we need to be ready to split off into teams when we're attacked."

"I'm Nami-swan, Robin-chwan, and Marguerite-chan!" Sanij declared.

"I'm with Conan!" Luffy smiled.

"I'll follow you." Aokiji sighed, indicating Luffy and Conan.

"I'll divide the teams!" Everyone turned to the forgotten fishman.

"Jinbe-san!" Conan exclaimed.

"I've surveyed the area, and have concluded who would be best off in teams." Jinbe declared. "I trust that Aokiji is still cooperative, and Lucci is on our side for the time being."

"Eh. They are." Conan nodded. "What teams do you suggest?"

"From what I've observed, I believe that you, Luffy-kun, and Aokiji-san should go ahead to the tower; your safety and survival is the priority of this war, so it's only natural our best fighters go with you." Jinbe explained.

"Jaa…I'll go with them then." Zoro stepped him, he wasn't letting an admiral go with his captain alone; not after last time.

"No, I'll need you to fight with me Zoro-kun, my Fishman-Karate and your swordsmanship would be the most suitable match." Jinbe explained. He turned to Lucci. "Lucci-san, you, Marguerite-chan, and Ussop-kn should go together; the balance of combat and marksmanship will be useful. Robin-san, you Nami-san, and Chopper-kun will make the best tag team here I believe. You work well together, and Chopper-kun's multiple forms will be an advantage for us. Sanji, Brook, and Franky will be on the offensive team with Zoro-san and I. Any questions?"

"I want to be the same team as Nami-swan and Robin-chwan!" Sanji exclaimed pissed.

"Our captain isn't going alone with the admiral, and I'm not working with the shitty cook." Zoro said casually.

"This isn't the time to argue! I've scouted the area and have deduced the best teams! Conan-kun doesn't have a lot of time left!" Jinbe scolded.

"Besides…" A voice broke the argument. "Luffy won't be going alone with the ice-bastard, I'm going with them."

Luffy beamed at the person and ran towards him. "ACE!" The older pirate caught the boy in a half hug and let the younger down. "You're okay! Conan really rescued you!"

"Rescued?" Ace rose a brow at the nervous detective.

"I didn't really rescue Ace-san, Luffy-san…I just helped him escape…in fact…if he hadn't been there…I would've died." Conan waved his hands in front of himself uneasily.

"Still! You helped Ace and deserves some thanks!" Luffy smiled.

"If we're decided, we ned to get going." Aokiji stepped into the group. "Edogawa-kun…how do you plan to get home without Noah?"

"Don't worry Aokiji-san…I've come up with a compromise." Conan gave a smile and turned to Jinbe. "After the battle's over, take Noah back to Fishman Island, I got what I needed from there. "

"Are you sure, Conan-kun?" The wise fishman asked.

"Un!" Conan smiled and pointed forward. "Let's go!"

**Marineford's Side**

Sengoku stared at the scene in front of him with a strange mixture of rage and indifference; this wasn't what he was expecting at all! Why the hell were the pirates fighting alongside that damned detective? He saw the chaos in front of him, marines of different ranks were fighting the pirates, and it was so hard to keep track of them all! He then saw the Strawhat crew, along with Jinbe, Fire Fist, and…his eyes widened, was that Aokiji? He clenched his fists. How the hell could this have happened?

"Saa…I guess I should go then." Kizaru stepped forward. "It's no fun…letting our men have all the fun…"

"Tch. I'm going for Aokiji. Traitors need to be made an example of." Akainu growled. Sengoku frowned at his subordinates, and saw that even the Shichibukai had even started to actively participate in the battle (with the exception of Donflamingo), and Mihawk who was on the opposing side.

"GWAHAHAHA!" Sengoku turned to the familiar voice and his eyes widened, it was Blackbeard and his crew, what the hell were they doing here? "I've got a rematch with Red-haired, that kid's as good as dead anyways."

"Blackbeard." The Fleet Admiral didn't like where any of this was going; Blackbeard and his crew were here, his admirals were going trigger happy, one admiral might have possibly defected, and his top Vice Admirals were nowhere to be found. Deciding that it couldn't get much worse, Sengkou sighed and nodded. "I have to fight too; this is the war I insisted on starting, so I have the responsibility of finishing it."

**Whitebeard's Side**

Whitebeard didn't say anything as he watched his sons bravely fight their way into the battle, he turned to the detective who was running towards the strange clock-tower with his son and his younger brother. "He he…you better make this worth out while detective-brat." Whitebeard knew that whatever Sengkou had planned originally with Ace's execution, the detective's presence had saved his son from exposure and war, and for that he owed the outer-worldy boy. He didn't like being deceived, but he could tell that Conan was planning something that would save all of them; the boy believed in peaceful resolves, despite everything that he had been through in this world. A foolish venture normally, but if he made Donflamingo back down, and had unintentionally started his own movement against the World Government, the detective-brat might actually pull off this miracle.

"Pops!" Vista got his attention. "The admirals are advancing!"

"Tch. Cowards." Whitebeard stood up, his men turned to him. "Everyone hold your ground and back me up! I'm going to teach those Navy-punks a lesson."

"HAAH!" His commanders gathered around him, ready for a face-off. They followed faithfully as their father entered the battlefield.

**The Marines**

Sengoku charged forward, already transforming into his mystic zoan form. When he was about to reach the clock-tower, he was stopped by a sudden crash. The sudden crash-blast, sent him flying for a few seconds, before landing on his feet; dusting himself off, he glared at his opponent. "Whitebeard. Out of the way, my target is Jimmy Kudo, not Fire Fist; this battle doesn't concern you or your men."

"Maybe. But that doesn't change the fact that you tried to hurt my son, nor does it change the fact that you tried to use him to wage a war against me and my allies." Whitebeard responded. "Tell me Segnoku, when did you become so weak? Why use such petty tactics?"

"They weren't petty tactics! The point of it was to spread Absolute Justice to Kudo-kun's world, as well as this one! The Black Organization and the World Government had a mutual agreement of power and control, we were going to create a utopia with this alliance! I don't expect you or that damned detective to understand any of my intentions!" Sengoku exclaimed.

"Sengoku…it's one thing to believe in justice, it's another thing to use a different world to stop time." The pirate's statement made the veteran marine freeze.

"W-What are you talking about? That wasn't-"

"You attempted to use my son to start a war to eliminate the pirates, and you were planning to use the detective-brat as a fail-safe solution if that failed." Was Whitebeard's response. "Being terrified of the future doesn't help anything Sengoku, and trying to pause the world long enough with war and regimes to shape it into something tame will only cause misery to people."

"Fool! I'm trying to prevent the war that will change the world!" Sengoku bellowed. "What would Kudo-kun know? He's lived in a world where no one has to fight their own battle, where theyrely on technology, how would he even remotely understand my intentions?"

"I never said the brat had experience." The old pirate responded. "But there is a difference between him and the marines, he's able to see how justice and freedom can coexist; that's something no one in the Navy or World Government can handle yet. You're too immature for this battle Sengoku, go take a nap and suck your thumb."

"Grrr…if you don't get out of my way, Whitebeard, this'll become your execution sight!" The fleet admiral declared, he fisted his hand for antoher shock-waves.

"He he…same to you Sengoku, same to you." Whitebeard fisted his hand, and the exchange of blows began.

**Nami, Robin, and Chopper**

The group headed towards the north end of the clock tower, several hundred feet off where Sengoku and Whitebeard were facing off, the earthquakes and bright lights were enough to emphasize their battle. "It's not wise for us to get any closer, Navigator-san, Doctor-san."

"But what do we do then?" Chopper cried.

"We kick some Navy-ass!" Nami readied her weapon, at the incoming troops. But the three rose their brows when the men suddenly stopped in their tracks. The marines cleared a pathway, definitely meant for a superior. They frowned when an old, short woman they didn't recognize appear on the battlefield.

"It's not safe for you youngsters to get any closer to the battle. Sengoku-san's very reckless with his power when he's panicking, and with Whitebeard as his opponent, he can't afford to hold back." The woman explained.

"Who are you?" Nami frowned.

"I am Vice Admiral Tsuru, the lead strategist for the Navy and World Government; it's my understanding that you're the navigator, researcher, and doctor of the Strawhat crew." The elder answered.

"Indeed. So you're our opponent then?" Robin clarified.

"Yes. For such a small crew you've gotten far, I applaud your effort. So it's a shame, that the Strawhat's ear will end in a useless war such as this. You know…I have the authority to make an offer." The pirate crew members listened. "The Navy's primary target is Jimmy Kudo, not any of you pirates; much less the Strawhat crew. So how about it? You and your crew clear out, and leave the detective to us?"

"Go to hell granny! It was your stupid plan that caused this!" Chopper yelled, swallowing a pill.

"We have made our decision. We will not betray Edogawa-kun, nor will we allow you to destroy this historic sight." Robin reaffirmed, crossing her arms.

"And we don't back out of promises." Nami had a thunder cloud form above her.

"THAT'S THE STRAWHAT WAY!" They declared.

Bubbles started forming around Tsuru and sighed. She turned to her men. "You lot go elsewhere, I'm more than capable of handling these three on my own."

"But-" One of them tried to protest.

"Go." Tsuru's blunt reply sent them running, albeit hesitantly. "I'll have to wipe your slates clean, Strawhat members, feel honored to have the privilege."

**Franky and Sanji**

The cyborg and cook were ordered to fight their way through the town square,which would've been difficult if it hadn't been for Franky's cannon. But as a giant marine was about to come down on them, he was suddenly blown away by a blast. Both men looked up warily and saw Sentomaru with three pacifistas; the mechanic saw the look they gave him and glared. "Relax! This one time I'm on your side! This the final part in repaying my favor to that damned to detective-boy, so I better not get any shit!"

"Ah. Sure." Sanji sighed. "We need to meet up with Ivankov and Inazuna, they had important intel to give us."

"Fine then let's-" The pacifistsas suddenly started glowing unexpectedly.

"Look out!" Frankly launched a grappling hand at the fellow mechanic and pulled him away from the blast. "Oi what happened? Why'd they detonate like that?"

"I don't know! It's not like I did it!" Sentomaru yelled, steadying himself.

"Such simple designs, my apprentice. I thought I taught you better than to use sub-parnormal frequencies." Sentomaru froze and slowly turned behind him; a few feet away from the group, stood his old mentor, in all his punkish-glory. "The frequencies that are easy to tap into, are the easiest to exploit, dispute, and diffuse; had you learned nothing from me?"

"D-Dr. V-Vegapunk?" Sentomaru asked in a nervous voice.

"This bastard's VegaPunk?" Franky's eyes widened.

"Eh. I am; I applaud you for the ships you've built as well as your own customs work you've done on your body; quite an impressive design." The scientist replied.

"Cut the crap. You're the bastard who built the machine that sent Conan here." Sanji glared. "How's he supposed to get back."

"He's ready read the King and Queen's diaries, so it's not like I have to give an explanation. If he makes it through, then all will be clear." VegaPunk shrugged. "I don't suppose there's any way for me to convince you lot to leave, is there?"

"Not a chance, bastard." Sanji glared.

"I owe that kid for saving my ass from Blackbeard and CP9." Franky readied his cannon.

"I see…Sentomaru-kun…what will you do?" He asked his apprentice.

"I…" The mechanic felt torn; one half wanted to join his mentor and blast away anyone who opposed him, but his other half knew that his mentor was mostly responsible for causing this mess to begin with. Also…he owed a debt to Conan, and he wanted answers from his teacher; that's what was important and that's what decided his ground. "I'm sorry sir but…your idea of justice is a little outdated."

**Lucci, Marguerite, Brook, and Ussop**

Since most of them were used to fighting outdoors, they were told to go to the supermarket and greenhouse areas, where crops were obviously grown. Or at least used to. As they were running, Ussop managed to ask a few questions.

"Oi Lucci! How do you know Marguerite-san?" Ussop asked. "Don't tell me- you've been to Amazon Lilly?"

"No, you idiot; I knew here before the island came to collect her from Water 7. I was born and raised there, it was just a coincidence that you dittos went there with Nico Robin at the time." Lucci growled in annoyance.

"Going off that…does that mean you knew my father?" The blonde asked hesitantly. "What was he like? Were we close? How old was I when the Kuja pirates took me?"

"What? Regretting your childhood?" Lucci scoffed.

"Of course not! But…when it's been confirmed that girls have been born, Kuja pirate ships are sent to track them down, so none of us know anything about our fathers. So this is just a rare opportunity!" She exclaimed. "And what about us? How close were we?"

"…I'll tell you later." Lucci shrugged.

"Grrr! No tell me now!" Marguerite demanded.

"Can you two argue about this later?" Ussop demanded.

"YOHOHO!" Brook's cheer made them stop. The skeleton pirate was on the roof-tops, peering at the greenhouse areas ahead. Due to his light weight he was much faster than them, and had been waiting a few minutes. "Someone beat us here!"

"Huh?" Lucci raised a brow and looked ahead; his eyes snapped wide and stopped dead and his tracks; causing Marguerite and Ussop to crash into his back.

"Oi! Stupid male! What was that for?" The Amazonian demanded. She frowned as she looked ahead at her opponents. There was a hideous woman in a prions outfit, and a tall man with metal on the sides of his head. They seemed to raiding the area for supplies.

"Who are they?" Marguerite asked.

"They're members of the Blackbeard pirates, as well as prisoners whom escaped from the sixth level of Impel Down." Lucci glared.

"You serious?" Ussop exclaimed. His outburst caused the two vicious pirates to look up.

"Murfufufu!" The woman laughed. "Vasco, Augur, take a look at what came to me and Shiliew!"

Two more men appeared from behind the greenhouse, Brook jumped down from the roof to join his party. "Yohoho! This looks fun!"

"We're in serious danger right now!" Ussop exclaimed.

"This could be worse." Lucci sighed. He sized up his opponents; the most dangerous was obviously Shiliew (the one he'll be facing), Marguerite and her Amazonian strength should be able to hold her own against Catarina Devon, if Ussop goes up against Augur the victory I uncertain but not impossible, leaving Vasco Shot for the undead musician. "This is gonna be loads of fun…" Lucci flexed and transformed; he needed to end this as soon as possible.

**Zoro and Jinbe**

The two pirates were colliding directly with the oncoming marines who were trying to go for Luffy's group, which was fine; Jinbe wasn't wrong about them being a good team. Karate and swordsmanship were a good match, but the easy waves suddenly turned into a huge storm. A familiar beam of light shooting at them, caused Zoro to jump in alarm. He got in front of Jinbe, and deflected the beam off with a quick slice of his blade.

"Admiral Kizaru!" His men called out.

"Everyone stand down now…I want to fight them." He pointed his finger for another launch, but was interrupted by a gun clicking. The yellow admiral turned to the familiar aura and shrugged. "This is de ja vu…isn't it Dark King Rayleigh."

Zoro and Jinbe stared in relief at their new ally. "Old man Rayleigh…"

"Indeed it is. Let's have fun admiral Kizaru." Rayleigh smiled and drew his sword.

**Revolutionaries**

Ivankov and Inazuna waited at an old fountain impatiently, waiting for Sanji and Franky to arrive. "Honestly! Where is that handsome boy! He's late!" Ivankov tapped his foot.

"All we can do is wait, we might as well." Inazuna sipped his wine. "We're hidden away from the rest of the marines, so we're safe to wait unlike the others."

"I suppose!" Ivan shrugged.

"And who might you two be waiting for?" A voice asked casually.

"Oh we're waiting to exchange intel with some of Strawhat's-" The okama king cut himself off when he realized that there shouldn't be anyone else here. "G-Garp?"

"That's Monkey D. Garp, to you…revolutionary." Garp glared.

Inazuna got into a stance, as did his king, but they were surprised when Garp made a shooing motion with his hand. "Go. I came here with my son, I'm going to teach him a lesson."

"Eh?" The revolutionary was sure he didn't hear right.

"He's right Iva." Dragon came out of the shadows behind his father. "You and Inazuma go up to the battle, I need to have a chat with my father."

"B-But!" Dragon's glare was enough to shut the okama up. He and Inazuna glanced at each other and nodded. "We'll meet up with you at the ship!" Iva ran off with his fellow okama trailing behind.

Dragon sighed when they finally left. "Quite a mess you've created father."

"I can easily say the same to you." Garp replied. "So…what have you been up to Dragon?"

"Not much…trying to rid the world of the corruptive hold that the Government has. You?" Dragon asked.

"Fighting pirate scum, and keeping the world a safe place." Garp countered.

"Safe place?" The tattooed man scoffed. "How is allowing invasive intrusion form a different world making it safe? You and the World Government officials bet the entire future of this world under the table, and you're attacking a boy and using him as scapegoat, so no one will notice. This is the first time, I've truly felt ashamed to be your relative."

"Dragon…whether you agree with this method or not…I got that detective boy involved to save Ace and Luffy…with him as the sacrifice, everyone will be satisfied and we can move on from this idea of other worlds and changing fate. I don't like what I had to do Dragon, but I chose family over a stranger; it isn't justice, but it's love." Garp sighed.

"Love? Like you showed Fire Fist when you left him to die at the hands of the Navy? You used the detective boy to free him, so you could pass the blame, and you talk about love? Don't make me laugh. You don't know the first thing about love." Dragon smirked.

"Hmph! Coming from the bastard who abandoned his son the day he was born? Tell me…do you still blame Luffy for taking his mother's life?" Garp glared.

"Don't talk about her!" Dragon yelled, wind started to build up around the man. "This fight has been coming a long time father, let's not beat around the bush any longer."

"Hmph! For once we agree!" Garp readied his fists.

**Shanks and Mihawk**

The two swordsman stared at the manic pirate with mild disinterest; it wasn't common practice for them to team up, but Shanks couldn't afford to risk losing one of his eyes at the moment, and there was no reason to turn down Mihawk's help. The rest of his men were battling the remaining Blackbeard pirates and the marines coming at them; leaving him and Mihawk to deal with Blackbeard.

"Those scars look bigger than the last time I saw them Red-Haired." Blackbeard grinned.

"Ah Teach! Your eyesight's just bad!" Shanks smiled, but malice was clearly laced into it.

"A test of worthiness to see if you really are worthy of the title: Shichibukai; I couldn't think of a more appropriate time." Mihawk drew his sword. "Try not to get in the way, Red-haired."

"Same to you, Mihawk, same to you." The pirate drew his sword as well, determined to give payback for his scarred eyes.

**Ace, Luffy, Aokiji, and Conan**

Ace and Luffy had seen many things as pirates, and they had gone through many adventures, but never in their wildest dreams did they expect to help a kid from another world get back to his home, or team up with an admiral to do it. Luffy had taken to carrying Conan on his back due to the fact that the little guy was too weak to run. Relief washed over the group, when they reached the entrance of the clock tower. Suddenly, the grown began to crumble, and the tower was beginning to sink; narrowing his eyes, Aokiji put his hand on the ground and froze the area in place. Ace and Luffy looked concerned. "We have company." Sighed Aokiji.

"This is as far as you go." They group turned to the red-dog Admiral, who looked pissed off beyond hell. "Aokiji, you're an admiral of the Navy, how could you betray us like this?"

"I'm not betraying anyone, I just don't want the Navy to be run by criminals." The ice admiral sighed. "The Black Organization can't be trusted, you know that, I know that; Sengoku isn't analyzing things properly, and was even willing to go as far as selling out confidential information to people we don't even know. I don't want to fight you Akainu, but I can't be your comrade in this either."

"Hmph! Then perish along with Strawhat and Fire Fist!" He sent several magma blasts which were countered by Aokiji's ice partisans.

The ice admiral turned to the three in his group. "Go! I need to get him away from the clock-tower, otherwise he'll collapse the whole landscape!"

"But-" Luffy was surprised, he didn't actually think the ice bastard was going to help them.

"No buts! You're made of rubber! Any kind of heat is just going to melt you, now go!" Aokiji ordered. "I'll hold him off!"

"Aokiji-san!" Conan was panicking for the ice admiral, ice did not go well against magma. "I'll think of-"

"It's fine, go." Ace stepped up beside Aokiji.

"Ace!" Luffy went to go beside his brother, but was stopped short by a firm glare from his brother.

"Go! Luffy…I refuse to be shown up by a marine, and Conan still needs someone to protect him from whatever's inside. Besides…" Ace's frown turned into a full on glare. "I owe this bastard one…he's the one who put that burn-mark on Conan's neck."

"Ace…remember our promise!" Luffy shouted.

"Same to you little brother, same to you. Now go." Ace waved at him.

"Gr! Come on Conan!" Luffy picked up the detective boy and ran inside the tower.

Once the two of them were inside, Ace and Aokiji faced the magma admiral. "I refuse to be protected by you." Ace said without looking at Aokiji.

"And I refuse to be indebted to you." Aokiji responded.

"Jaa…then let's agree that this is one time thing, and it's based on the fact that we both mutually hate this bastard." Ace offered, firing up his logia.

"Couldn't agree more Fire Fist." Aokiji froze over with his ice.

Akainu's expression didn't change as he looked at his opponents. "Traitors won't be tolerated Aokiji, you'll be burned alive with Fire First."

**Inside the Clocktower**

Luffy gritted his teeth as he ran up the stairs of the clock-tower. "Conan! Where do we have to go?"

"The gears that control the Clock-tower's face, we need to readjust the hands!" Conan shouted. "Luffy-san…I'm sorry about what Ace-san is doing for me…I-"

"It's fine!" Luffy stopped short and took a breath. "Ace is strong…he promised he wouldn't die…so he won't."

"…He's also fighting alongside an admiral because of me." Conan clenched his fists, he realized that he might not have the chance to properly thank all the people who have helped him so far.

"It's fine! This is to save our world and preserve our freedom! So sometimes we have to fight with people we hate." Luffy gave him a confident grin. "Getting you home and stopping these Black Organization bastards are what's important right now! So let's beat um up!"

"Luffy-san…" Conan smiled astonished. Suddenly, smoke appeared out of nowhere, and a blunt force suddenly knocked Conan out of Luffy's grip. "Luffy-san!" Conan was suddenly pulled onto a shifting gear by someone, and covered his mouth.

"CONAN!" The pirate captain growled, and managed to see through the smoke; Conan had been kidnapped by someone. "Conan! I'm coming!" Luffy was about to jump down and beat the perpetrator senseless, but was stopped by even more smoke.

"Sorry Strawhat, but that ain't happening." Smoker appeared at the top of the staircase with Tashigi. "The boy's time is up, and so is yours."

"Smoker! Out of my way! Leave Conan alone!" Luffy shouted. "He's not a pirate, so don't do anything to him!"

"It's not about him being a pirate or not, it's just our orders to kill him." Smoker sighed.

"That's stupid! If you don't wanna kill him, then don't!" Luffy shouted.

Smoker suddenly appeared in front of Luffy, and pinned him down with his Jutte. "Nothing personal Strawhat."

"Captain Smoker." Tashigi clutched her katana; she nor her superior approved of this at all.

"SLAVE ARROW!" A familiar feminine voice broke through the air, and Tashigi and Smoker looked up, to see Boa Hancock, preparing to shoot her heart arrows down at them. She was several flights above them, but they could clearly see her. Her eyes narrowed and jumped down to their level, without a word, she kicked Tashigi to a wall and made her way down to Smoker. "Who do you think you are…attacking my love?"

"Hancock." Smoker growled, relinquishing his hold on Luffy. "Don't think I'll have mercy on you; Shichibukai or not, you're still a traitor if you side with Strawhat."

"HAH!" She did her epic looking-down pose. "My obligation to the Navy was complete once I fought some of Whitebeard's men! Now it's personal! You attacked my love, you won't get away with it!"

"Hancock!" Luffy exclaimed happily. "We have to rescue Conan!"

"Yes Luffy! We will!" She couldn't care less about that microscopic pervert, she was fighting alongside the love of her life, that was more than enough.

"We won't let you through." Tashigi steadied herself, and went to stand by her superior. "Conan has to die here…for all of us…" Surrender wasn't going to help either side.

**With Conan**

The detective had no idea where the assailant was taking him, but they had to be desperate if they separated him from Luffy. He managed to get his mouth uncovered so he could he the guy's face, only to be shocked. "Coby-san?"

"Hi Conan-kun." The boy said almost monotonously. Nothing like the eager, young boy Conan had met at the beginning of this horrid journey. "We're going someplace nice."

"…Where would that be exactly?" Conan asked hesitantly.

"The face of the Clock-tower, just as you wanted." Coby answered. That when Conan noted a glint of metal around the marine's neck.

The detective's eyes widened in realization. "Coby-san, around your neck…"

"It's okay, Conan-kun…all will be explained once we get there." The pinkie silenced him. Soon the gears took them to the correct level, but Conan was met with anything but a happiness.

"HELMEPPO-SAN!" Conan rushed forward once the pinkie put him down. The blondie was badly beaten, and had his wrists and ankles binded to a large gear, that seemed to be connected to the main shifter of the hands. That's when Conan noticed the digital clock above Helmeppo, 6hrs, 24min, and 18 seconds to go; just like the same amount of time he had. There was an old type-writer keypad on the side of the gear as well, obviously to deactivate the mechanism. He noted that there was also a collar attached to Helmeppo's neck, but had several tubes that seemed to intravenously connected to his jugular. Conan took a few steps back and slowly turned to Coby. "Coby-san…what is this?"

"I'm sorry Conan-kun." Coby looked to the ground, unwilling to face the detective.

"Coby-san…" He suddenly heard clapping and Conan whirled around to the sound. He saw a dark-cloaked figure in hiding behind one of the gears, the rancid smell of cigarettes emitted from him. Conan knew immediately who he was from. "You're from…"

"A lovely setup isn't it detective boy?" The voice was male, and it was casual. "I've always wanted to try something like this, but our own world didn't have the old-world technology to do it. I'm hoping to see a good show before you die; you know the consequences if you disappoint me Coby-kun."

"I'm sorry Conan-kun." The feeling of metal barrel at his head, Conan knew he didn't have to turn around to know what was pointed at him. "But I've always had better aim than Helmeppo-san…"

**Review Please! So to further explain what I did, it's easier for me to focus on several battles simultaneously, rather than focus on the war as a whole. I'm more organized this way, and in all honesty, I think each fight gets the designated attention it deserves. There are several reasons behind why I paired up the matches the way I did, the most significant one would be Luffy and Hancock vs. Smoker and Tashigi; they were meant to be a way to separate Conan from Luffy, we all know Hancock could take them out easily. Coby and Helmeppo's situation will be fully explained in the next chapter, and I absolutely WILL NOT go into anything further about Luffy's mom. I assume she's dead (no idea if that's true or not), I just put that in there because I assume that there was a huge emotional reason behind Dragon's hatred of the World Government and Navy. So to remind everyone who's facing who the list are as follows:**

***Sengoku vs. Whitebeard**

***Nami, Robin, and Chopper vs. Tsuru**

***Franky, Sanji, and Sentomaru vs. Dr. VegaPunk**

***Lucci, Marguriete, Ussop, and Brook vs. Van Augur, Catarina Devon, Vasco Shot, and Shiliew**

***Zoro, Jinbe, and Rayleigh vs. Kizaru**

***Garp vs. Dragon**

***Shanks and Mihawk vs. Blackbeard**

***Ace and Aokiji vs. Akainu**

***Luffy and Boa Hancock vs. Tashigi and Smoker**

***Conan vs. (You'll find out)**

**I purposefully let out the gender of the BO member, but it's up to you guys to guess who it is next week. If anyone has any comments, questions, or concerns, leave it in the review or PM me. Later!**


	42. Don't Look Back

**Hey guys! Another later update I know, but I still got it up before Sunday. Blah...these chapters are taking so much out of me; I did not feel like writing this. I had a shit ton to do this week, so it's a miracle that I'm keeping deadline. Okay, so the BO character is revealed, and my resons for choosing him are at the end of the chapter. Not much happens; the fights are addressed, not much else. Next chapter, I'm narrowing the fights down, so I don't have to write as much, and so more attention can be on Conan.**

**Also, for those of you who are wondering, I did a slgiht pairing on Lucci and Marguerite, honestly just to enhance the drama. I'm not for or against this, couple they just happened to work in my fic. Nothing more will be elaborated on the romantic dimension in any of the characters (except for Hancock's obsession with Luffy) after this chapter. Also, please people, leave more reviews, these chapters are hell for me to write right now, so some appreciation would be nice. So, without further ado, read, enjoy, review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed**

"Coby-san…" Conan didn't bother to turn around, his eyes were glewed to the bastard behind the clockgear. "You're the representative from the Black Organization."

"Brilliant deduction, care to guess what this setup is?" The figure laughed.

"There's a bomb collar across Coby-san's neck; obviously if if he disobeys you, he detonates it." The detective growled. "There's a poison generating through Helmeppo-san's vein through the IV you've got hooked up, giving Coby-san even more incentive to kill me. As for the keypad, that's where you want me to dance around ideas to save both of them, the only thing you need to give me is the code."

"You always were a pretentious, nosy bastard, Jimmy Kudo." The man stepped out from behind the gear, his long, platinum blonde hair swaying with his steps; he puffed his cigarette. Conan narrowed his eyes at the familiar foe, ignoring the chills that were going up his spine. "Good to see you remember me."

"Hard to forget the bastard who did this to me." Conan growled, referring to his child-like body.

"Come now Kudo, you were being nosy, and I had no choice but to take some sort of action; you brought this on yourself, so don't try to get out of it." The man replied.

"Gin-san…" Conan growled. "Why are you here? What purpose did the Black Organization have in sending one of their top executives to a different world?"

"I personally requested to come here; after all it's been so long since the last time we've seen each other in person." Gin smiled.

"You also wanted to be the one to set the final challenge for me; tell me…have you already given the Gorosei that damned youth drug?" Conan clenched his fists.

"Of course not; they've done nothing to earn it from us. The Black Organization has proven itself to be a useful ally to the Navy and World Government in every way. We have money, power, and technological advancements they can only dream of, the World Government have done nothing to prove themselves to us yet." The dark man shrugged.

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Coby screamed, tears streaming down his face. "THE NAVY DID EVERYTHING YOU SAID! WE CAPTURED CONAN-KUN LIKE YOU SAID, AND EVEN STARTED THIS USELESS WAR FOR YOU! WHAT MORE COULD YOU POSSIBLY WANT?"

"Coby-san…" The detective mumbled, his eyes widened as the barrel of the gun rose from the back of his head to face directly at Gin.

"Hmm…you plan to defy me Navy-boy? That's cute." Gin laughed. "While it's true that the World Government has the shown the Black Organization that they possess strong military power, they have almost no intelligence whatsoever, and it was illustrated by the little detective here." He gestured to Conan. "Tell my Navy-boy, what do you think the purpose of bringing Conan here was? OR is your mind too inexperienced to think of your superiors in such a poor light?"

"H-He was supposed to help the Navy find One Piece to secure the world's future! What else could it have been?" Coby demanded.

"Hahaha! You bought that? The people of this world truly are stupid aren't they! If it was just about One Piece, we would've just had one of our own members find it. No, we could care less about that damned fairytale-treasure." Gin smirked. "Try again, Navy-boy."

"T-To kill him?" Coby cried out desperately, his hands were shaking as he held the gun. BZZZZZ! Coby started convulsing harshly, and he fell to the ground.

"COBY-SAN!" Conan ran to his side; he narrowed his eyes at the collar. "Bastard! It's a shock collar, as well as bomb."

"It'd be no fun otherwise, would it?" Gin laughed. "Detective…why don't you tell Navy-boy here, why you're death was a key-role here, no matter what chain of events played out. There was one commonality that no one of sufficient intelligence could miss, not even that incompetent detective Mouri."

"Conan-kun…" Coby struggled to get up. "Tell me the truth…why were you brought here? What's gotten into my superiors at the Navy? Even Vice Admiral Garp didn't wish to talk about you. Once word got out about who you were, and all the valuable information you had about the Navy, pirates, and Once Piece, none of the upper-level marines wanted to speak. It was just a bunch secret meetings and unexplained battle orders! So give me some answers Conan-kun! Please!"

Conan didn't say anything at first, but with a heavy sigh, he spoke. "If it was just about my death, the Black Organization would've just killed me at any point in time during this mess. Even after they sent me, it's obvious that Gin-san here has been tailing me the whole time; he could've killed me any time he wanted."

"SO WHY?" Coby demanded.

"My death not only would've been the symbolic peace treaty between the World Government and the Black Organization, but also the ultimate victory for them. The Black Organization has wanted me dead for a long time, so they sent me to this world to test the intelligence and the resolve everyone had here. Since everyone failed, Gin-san just plan's to go to the Gorosei, saying he has the youth serum, but the reality is…he plans to kill them. With the exchanged information between them and Donflamingo, Gin-san was sent here to seal the Black Organization's control over the world." Conan answered. "I'm sorry Coby-san but…the Navy and the World Government were just being used from the start…the Black Organization had no intention whatsoever to share power with them."

"So…what's the point of doing this to me and Helmeppo-san…?" Coby cried, tears running down his face.

"For fun." The blonde man smirked. "Now that introductions are over, I'm going to explain the rules of the final game; detective…you'll be overjoyed that you might possibly be able to save both these Navy-boys with your impressive deduction skills." Conan's glare didn't waver, he couldn't afford to let his fear show. "As you can see, around Coby-kun's neck is a shot collar as well as a bomb; I have a remote control that will shock him, but not detonate it." Conan raised a brow. "I'm getting to that part detective, patience. Now, at Helmeppo-kun you also see a collar, but this one is intravenously connected to his neck, particularly his jugular. Unlike Coby-kun, I do not have a detonation remote or shock mechanism, however…that's where the challenge comes in."

"What do you mean?" Conan demanded.

"As you said, the old type-writer keypad at the side of this mechanism is the key to save Helmeppo-kun, but I'm giving you a bonus detective-boy…I'm giving you the opportunity to save Coby-kun as well!" Gin waved his hands out in emphasis. "You see…I've programmed this lovely device to also disarm Coby-kun's collar as well, however…it'd be boring if two of you were to try and save Helmeppo-kun, so this is what will happen: Coby-kun will try to kill you while you try to pathetically save them, detective boy."

"What?" Conan's eyes widened when he realized just what position he and Coby were in. "You…if Coby-san doesn't try to kill me, then not only do you detonate Coby-san's collar, but you destroy the keypad to Helmeppo-san's collar!"

"Exactly! That way you don't get the idea of killing me inside your head. Wow…I never thought I'd actually have to use that threat against you, detective boy. Guess this word really toughened you up, huh?" The blonde mocked.

"No…" Conan clenched his fists. "Regardless of the reason, murder is murder…I won't allow someone like you to change me."

"Amusing detective, very amusing." Gin laughed. "Care to take a guess of what'll happen if you try to break the vial that hold the liquid connected to Helmeppo-kun's collar?"

"…Sodium thiopental, pancuronium bromide, and potassium chloride; the same chemical combination used in lethal injection for death row criminals. How poetic of you." Conan answered.

"Hehhe…right as always, detective boy!" Gin chuckled. "The liquid in the tubes are already filled with the chemical, but the latches to his collar are closed; force them open at all…whether you attack the vial or try to cut off the tubes…the hatches will open, and it'll enter his system. Otherwise…just wait around for six and half hours for the Navy-boy to die."

"You bastard…" Conan growled. The man was essentially telling Coby to kill him, or he gets himself and his comrade killed; while Conan was being forced to save both of them at the same time. "And if I refuse to participate in this sick cat and mouse game, then they both die anyways."

"Yep! I'll just attack the tubes and blow up the other one here." He indicated to Coby, who by now…had gone completely silent. "And if you two don't entertain me constantly for the next six hours, then I will end this game early, do we understand each other?" The glare from Conan was enough to confirm that. "Great! As you can tell detective-boy, your only hope in saving these two rests in that keypad, and despite how this may seem, it's not booby-trapped other than what I've told you- there was no need. All you have to do is type in the two passwords, one to save Coby-kun and the other to save Helmeppo-kun, easy enough, correct?"

"So even if Coby-san were to get loose first, he'd still have to put effort into killing me, otherwise, you'll pull the plug on Helmeppo-san." The detective boy deduced.

"Exactly! A straight-forward game, ne detective boy?" Gin chided. "Also Coby-kun…you can't let the boy pass to the keypad, and if he happens to pass you, he's only allowed one minute at the keypad per session. Do I make myself clear?"

'So he's even forcing Coby-san not to fake chances with me, typical.' Though the detective.

"Yes sir." Coby didn't look up, but answered to show that he was listening.

"Good, so with that, I will give you your first and only clue to save these Navy-boys, detective boy." Gin smirked. "I'm actually taking pity on you…you've read the king and queen's diaries, so surely you remember this- their names." Conan's eyes widened. "What were names of the King and Queen of the Void Century? Figure it out detective."

"Oi!" Conan was about to protest, but Gin put a hand up.

"Now that the rules are laid out, it's time for the game to begin; don't disappoint me now." Gin adjusted his hat and Coby aimed his gun, teras rolling down his face again.

"I'M SORRY!" Like a hare hunt, the gunshot signaled the game had begun.

**Luffy and Hancock vs. Tashigi and Smoker **

KICK! Hancock sent Smoker to a wall, part of his body had already turned to stone, and luckily, he didn't shatter. "CAPTAIN SMOKER!" Tashigi ran in front of her superior, to furhter face the deadly beauty.

"HAH! How pathetic." Hancock smirked and formed a heart with her hands. But as she was about to attack, her obsession's voice stopped her.

"Forget them! We need to find Conan!" Luffy called to her.

"Coming Luffy!" Hancock swooned; she had grown bored with the pathetic fight anyways.

**Sengoku vs. Whitebeard **

Had it been any other war, everyone would be watching the two titans clash. The power each had, as well as the precision was truly amazing. They stood at the same level, that was for sure.

Whitebeard threw another earthquake-punch as Sengoku charged another shock-wave blast at him.

CRACK! The ground beneath them broke and shook, they constantly had to move to different areas of the ruins, as to not get the others involved. There was one advantage Sengoku had over Whitebeard though, the old pirets had to prtect the clocktower, while Sengoku couldn't care less what got destroyed in the chaos.

"GOLDEN FIST!" Sengoku punched the ground, bright light emitted towards Whitebeard.

The old pirate formed an earthquake sphere at his foot and stomped the ground, nullifying Sengoku's attack. Suddenly, the Fleet Admiral flew straight at his face, Whtiebeard barely had time to react, but luckily he managed to. He blocked several of Sengoku's punches, until finally sending him a few feet away with his own blow. "You've gotten rusty, Sengoku."

"Hmm…don't get arrogant Whitebeard." He glared, a trail of blood came down his head.

**Nami, Robin, and Chopper vs. Tsuru**

Tsuru hadn't moved since the battle began, she simply was waiting for her opponents to do something relatively active. They three pirates had been at a standstill with her for several minutes, they weren't sure of their opponent, and they had no idea what kind of powers she had either.

"Shall I start then?" Tsuru asked.

"Why did you bastards do this to Conan-kun? Do you have any idea how scared he was?" Nami demanded.

"The detective's welfare isn't yours or my concern." The vice admiral shrugged. "Really, we don't have to fight here, if you don't want to, little boy, young ladies."

"What do you mean? You're trying to kill Conan!" Chopper exclaimed.

"True. But right now, the Navy and World Government's top concern is eliminating the boy; the pirates here are nothing but a secondary concern to us. If you help me capture the boy, I'll order my men to spare you." The old woman offered.

"Tsuru-san?" Robin spoke up. "Tell me…why did Edogawa-kun research the Void Century to begin with? From what we were told, the Navy simply abducted him to deduce the location of One Piece."

"That was the initial intention, yes. However, the truth of the matter was, me and a select few people could really care less about whether or not he could find it. For me and my colleagues, we never had the intention on letting Kudo-kun leave here alive." Tsuru explained. "You're Nico Robin, the archeological researcher who lost her mother in the chaos of the Ohara incident. My apologies for your loss."

"I'm surprised that the Navy even acknowledges the incident." The younger woman snorted.

"Fair enough." Tsuru admitted.

"Tell me, Tsuru-san…do you know why Edogawa-kun had to look up information on my mother? What did Donflamingo have to do with it?" Robin demanded.

"…It was to gather information on the World Government; Kudo-kun knew your mother found something rather incriminating, and was hoping to find her research through the records. However, that endever obviously didn't occur; your mother was captured by slave traders and was almost sold to the Tenryuubito at some point. Luckily for her, someone else bought her before that occurred." Tsuru explained.

"…Who was that?" Robin wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"Your father." Tsuru answered. "Do you want to know his name?"

"Robin…" Nami looked at her sadly; she never cared who her biological parents were honestly, her mother and sister were all the family she needed, but still…Robin had obviously been curious about this for awhile.

"No, I don't ." Robin pursued her lips and crossed her arms. Tsuru didn't flinch when she felt the hands start bending her backwards. "However…now that I know why Edogawa-kun couldn't tell me his reason, as well as what drove him to look up the information…I'll be more than satisified in killing you. Bloom Bloom CLUTCH!"

"Hmph. How predictable." Tsuru pulled out a pocket knife, and stabbed the hands around her neck, causing Robin to retract them instantly.

"Robin! What's wrong?" Chopper asked.

"The metal of the knife is laced with Seastone." She growled.

"Indeed, but since I' handling the wooden part without seastone, I'm not as hindered." Tsuru explained. Suddenly, tiny bubbles started rising from the ground and surrounding the pirates.

Nami smirked and got her Perfect Clima-tact ready. "That's fine, I fought a younger bitch similar to you a few months back. She was so damned arrogant about her beauty, it drove me crazy! COOL CHARGE! MIRAGE TEMPO: FATA MORGANA!" Suddenly, various images of Nami appeared throughout the battle in all shapes and sizes.

"Nami! Sugoi! There are so many of you!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Ah, that's right. You're not used to fighting with her like this, are you Doctor-san?" Robin smiled down.

"No…so cool!" Chopper smiled.

"Watch this then! THUNDER CHARGE!" All the images made the dark weather clouds above the old woman, who till hadn't moved at this point. "SWING ARM!" She swung the weapon around happily, sending a mass electrical charge to the old woman. Tsuru's eyes widened when she saw that her knife had no effect, which meant this woman didn't have a devil fruit, and neither did her weapon.

ZZZZAAAP! Tsuru fell to her knees, her skin was blackened and she was coughing.

"HAH!" Nami laughed in triumph. "That's what you get for messing with our crew!"

"I see…I truly underestimated you." Bubbles covered Tsuru's body but disappeared a second later. She stood up, completely healed. "Now then…does the little reindeer care to try before I finish the three of you."

At this Chopper growled, and swallowed a rumble pill. "HORN POINT!" Chopper transformed into his larger, four-legged form, and charged straight at the woman. But Tsuru dodged, and actually kicked the reindeer to the side. Chopper reverted back to his Brain point, and didn't move.

"CHOPPER!" Nami ran over to him, and to her horror, noticed he couldn't move. "What'd you do to him? Tell me!" Robin went to join Nami and examined the small doctor, her eyes widened.

"This is…" Robin looked at the elder in shock. "You have…the Wash-Wash fruit?"

"Ah, you know of my ability? Great. This will take even less time than I thought." She brought out a laundry whip and walked forward.

**Franky, Sanji, and Sentomaru vs. Dr. VegaPunk**

The three men cursed, dodging lasers and rocket launchers from the cyborgs at VegaPunk's command.

Sentomaru narrowed his eyes. "Sir…are those…?"

"It turns out the Black Organization is fairly liberal about converting humans into cyborgs, so I simply made them better. And if they rebel, I'll simply blow them up." VegaPunk shrugged.

"FRESH FIRE!" Franky breathed fire on the cyborg men, but cursed when he saw that the metal, didn't even have a scratch. So he settled on punching it. "TAKE THIS!" That worked. Franky's punch, sent several of the suited cyborgs to pieces. He also took off his shirt and fired his shoulder cannons; which also worked thankfully.

"TENDRON!" Sanji's powerful kicks landed several of the cyborg heads decapitated, but it was taking a toll on him. "Damn…these bastards are heavy. QUASI!" Using his hand-stand-spinning technique, he managed to destroy the cyborgs around him. "Damn…Sentomaru-kun! We're gonna get overwhelemed at this rate!"

"…Sir…do you really plan to kill Conan-kun?" Sentomaru growled. "Even though…he went against pirates, went through CP9…to save me?"

"It has to be done, Sentomaru-kun." The scientist sighed.

"If that's the case…" Sentomaru unsheathed his axe. "There really isn't anything to talk about…" SWING! With a strong hand, over fifty cyborgs were taken out, and Sentomaru rushed to his supposed-superior. "I'll make ou see the light sir! ASHIGARA DOKKOI!" His palm-strike sent Sentomaru flying backwards into a building, collapsing it on him.

"Did you get him?" Sanji and Franky ran up to the large man.

"That guy dead?" Franky asked.

"Not sure…in all honesty, I've never seen boss fight." Sentomrau frowned.

"Very good Sentomaru-kun…" The group tensed, and the figure emerged from the rubble. The three of them, looked at the man in shock. "But I'm afraid…that it'll take more than a few amateurish strikes to take me down."

"Sir you…" Sentomaru's words died in his throat when a piece of skin fell off his boss. VegaPunk had metal under the skin of his skull; he had converted himself into a cyborg.

**Lucci, Marguerite, Ussop, and Brook vs. Van Augur, Catarina Devon, Vasco Shot, and Shiliew**

Chaos, that was the only thing Lucci could describe the situation he and his group were in, though they were winning. As expected, Shiliew was the hardest of the opponents, which was who he was currently fighting. Marguerite was holding her own against Catarina Devon, but the prison-lady was much stronger than the Amazonian, and more experienced. Brook was firing well against Vasco shot due to the speed and skill difference, and it was a flat-out stand-still with Ussop and Van Augur. Claws and sword met in a deadly clashing sound, and they jumped away from the other. "You're as good as they say you are, Rob Lucci." The former prison guard complimented.

"Same to you, Shiliew of the Rain." Lucci replied. "You're as brutal as the rumors go to say."

"Thank you…might I ask you something?" Shiliew smirked.

"What?" Lucci growled.

"Why are you…a CP9 agent helping pirates?" Shiliew asked. "Did yo know that I was the one who tortured the boy, primarily?"

"I'm perfectly aware of the damage you caused the detective." The CP9 fight frowned. "And I'm allying myself with these morons to meet my end of a bargain, nothing more."

"I see…so the young Amazonian is nothing but cooperation as well?" Shiliew smirked, looking over at the blonde woman, who was struggling against his crewmate. "I'm not into ugly, old woman like Devon; I like teaching the younger ones techniques that they normally wouldn't learn. So how about this…we let you and your group forward…in exchange for the Amazonian."

"…You desire her?" Lucci asked in a controlled voice.

"So much that it burns-" Lucci suddenly appeared in front of him, and grabbed Shiliew's cigar. In a swift motion, Shiliew found himself on the ground, with Lucci shoving the cigar into his eye. "GAAH!" Shiliew tried to stab him, but Lucci caught his Katana with his foot, and pulled it out his hand. As he was about to bring the blade down on the prison guard, a voice stopped him.

"You who!" Lucci motioned his eyes to the voice, but didn't take his body off Shiliew. "Look who I've got?" Lucci immediately got off the man, but kept the katana pointed at his throat. He groaned in annoyance at the blonde Amazonian, who was struggling feebly in the older woman's headlock. "Don't kill him, and I don't kill her…agreed?"

"Hmph." Lucci drew back his arm with the sword, and threw it straight into Devon's shoulder, barely missing Marguerite's head. The girl was dropped, and she ran to Lucci's side.

"Why'd you do that? I could've handled it!" She shouted.

"Sure…" Lucci sighed. "Move!" He shoved the girl away when he noticed Shiliew pull a gun out of his pocket. POUND! Shiliew coughed blood, and fell unconscious. Lucci sighed and turned to the shocked blonde girl. "Be aware of your surroundings, girl."

"…Tell me…why did you want to see me?" Marguerite demanded.

"Simple. When we were kids, you promised to be my wife." Lucci answered nonchalantly.

"WHAT?" Marguriete turned to stone.

"OI!" Ussop's voice brought them back to reality. "What's gotten into you two? Help us out here!"

"…I'll help take Shot, you help Long-nose with Augur." Lucci ordered.

"But-"

"GO!" This wasn't the time for questions.

**Zoro, Jinbe, and Rayleigh vs. Kizaru**

Zoro, Jinbe, and Rayleigh were fairing fairly well against Kizaru, but it was very obvious that the light admiral was holding back. So far, the admiral had clashed several times with Rayleigh, shot several shots of light at Jinbe and Zoro, and had destroyed several buildings. In all this, he had only been forced to move a few feet at most.

"Nee…why are you helping the detective?" Kizaru asked.

"I could easily ask why the Navy thinks there's a point in killing him at this point." Rayleigh smirked.

"That's true…Sengoku-san's blowing his top for nothing." The yellow man sighed. "I don't suppose…there's any way for you to hand the boy over…?"

"Not on your life, bastard." Zoro put the last sword in his mouth. "YAKI ONI GIRI!" Zoro charged the admiral, only to go straight through him again. Zoro growled in annoyance.

"That felt strange…Jinbe-san…you sure your want to do this…?" Kizaru asked, ignoring Zoro completely.

Jinbe got into the normal fishman karate position. "Conan-kun plans to save us all, and stop this meaningless war…I have nothing but the intention of helping him."

"I see…so that's your decision." Kizaru grouped his hands together, and soon enough…his famous light-sword formed. "I guess I have no choice but to finish the lot of you then."

**Shanks and Mihawk vs. Blackbeard**

Mihawk had drawn his sword by now, and sent several slashed to Blackbeard, making sure to cover Shanks' left side. As much as he looked down at the pathetic wannabe Shichibukai, he knew underestimating this man was a bad idea. It left his friend with three scars

Like before, Blackbeard took all the slashes, only to get up a few minutes later.

"GWAHAHAHA! Sorry gentlemen…it's going to take more more than swordplay to take me down." Darkness gather in Blackbeard's hand. "BLACK HOLE!" A vortex appeared, and started sucking everything in. Shanks' eyes widened when his darkness went for the clock tower. Arming himself with haki, he charged forward, cutting Blackbeard across the chest.

Mihawk followed up by sending another strike. That was effective, Blackbeard's attack was cancelled, he was sent back a few feet, and was injured. Mihawk examined the rest of the battlefield around him with a keen eye; he frowned when he couldn't find Garp.

**Garp vs. Dragon**

Despite having the power of wind, Dragon knew no cyclone on earth could move his father. He was as firmly planted in his beliefs as he was. Growling, Dragon gathered wind slices in his hands and sent them at the elder. Garp didn't blink and reached out with his hands, catching them. With a squeeze, the wind slices were gone. "Hoho…you've gotten rust Dragon. You've been cooped up in your office too long, been sending too many people to fight in your place."

"Better than sacrificing a child instead of your position in the Navy, correct Father?" Dragon countered.

"What do you mean?" Garp raised a brow.

"Instead of saving Ace yourself, you were going to sacrifice a child from another world to initiate the war, but it later changed into using the boy to stop the world." Dragon sighed. "What do you think of him, Kudo-kun?"

"He's a good, polite young man; not sure where he stands in some issues, but it's obviously that his strict view of justice has changed somewhat. I think this world's shown him the good in evil, and the evil in good; so it's sad that he was setup so cruelly." Garp answered. "What about you Dragon? I hear you tried to use him as the figure head for this Revolution."

"Whether I did or not, doesn't concern you. You and Kudo-kun are exactly a like, you think you can fiz a corrupted system by being in it! It doesn't work like htat! You need to fight against the corruption itself!" Dragon yelled.

"That's not what he's doing, Dragon." Garp said. "In his world, he became a detective because he was interested in the work he was doing, but…he also became a detective to help people who no one else wanted to help. I wonder how many people he proved innocent, when wrongly accused?"

"What are you getting at?" Dragon demanded.

"Kudo-kun doesn't see corruption, he doesn't even see what needs to be fixed, he just sees what needs to be done. And right now…he's going to find a way to save everyone here; whether either of us like it or not." The old marine let out a content smile.

"You're supporting his campaign now?" Dragon raised a brow.

"Ah. I won't help him, but I won't hinder him either. Kudo-kun will continue to figh till the end, just like any marine, pirate, or revolutionary." Garp fisted a hand. "I won't let you pass, Dragon; get over it."

"I see…no choice then." Wind formed around Dragon, and the battle continued.

**Ace and Aokiji vs. Akainu**

Akainu sent magma balls at his fellow admiral and young pirate. Ace and Aokiji were fairing fairly well against the magma-user, but neither of their elements were particularly good against him, and they didn't have time to collaborate a sufficient attack. The main thing the two of them were focused on was protecting the clocktower.

"Any ideas?" Ace growled.

"I'll let you know when I come up with a plan that doesn't destroy the island." Aokiji glanced back at the clocktower and sighed. "We need to get him away from this area, get ready to use that glowing-ball attack of yours."

"Don't order me around-"

"ICE BALL!" Aokiji formed the attack, and sent the ice ball at the lava man. Akainu raised up his hand to stop it and started concentrating. "NOW! FIRE FIST!"

"FINE! FIRE FLIES!" Like the time he met that damned detective boy, the orbs of light came up on Akainu, and blew up. He sent flying back, but was better was that he was slight blinded. Ace knew because the orbs were detonated at such close range. He smirked when Akainu was sent a hundred feet back. He walked with Aokiji to their opponent. "Don't order me around, bastard."

"I have more experience with this man than you, you listen to me." Aokiji countered.

"I don't take orders from marines, especially admirals." Ace growled.

"And I don't work with pirates, but here we are." Aokiji replied. They stopped and waited for their opponent to raise up from the rubble.

"…Why are you helping Conan anyways?" Ace asked.

"Several reasons, the main one is…I owe him a favor and an apology." The ice admiral replied thoughtfully.

"An apology and a favor?" The division commander rose a brow.

"Originally Kudo-kun found information on me and blackmailed me; he promised he'd keep my secrets, so long as I gave him the information he wanted. He kept his end of the bargain, but I was fooled into believing otherwise. Not only did he correct my mistake…he set it up to where my secret would always be safe." Aokiji and Ace didn't flinch when a red glow emitted from the rubble. "Why are you helping him, Fire Fist? Didn't he lie to your crew?"

"…True. But only because the truth was so unbelievable. In fact…if he had told me before any of this happened, I wouldn't have believed him at all." Ace replied.

BBBOOM! Magma blew from the ground, and up-rose the pissed-off magma admiral. He stepped forward and raised his fist. His lava balls were stopped short by being turned into ice balls, being thrown back at him. They landed on his skin, but a searing burning happened that he wasn't expecting it. The ice balls melted at the hottest temperature he ever felt on his skin; in a mist of steam, the spots where the ice balls landed had created bald spots of flesh.

Akainu's eyes widened and turned to his opponents, who smirked at how their plan worked.

"So we're in agreement, Fire Fist?" Aokiji asked, preparing another attack.

"Yep. We're never speaking of this again, and we'll have to shut this bastard up." Ace got into position, ready for more.

**Conan vs. Coby and Gin**

Conan dodged the bullets Coby fired at him, and readied his taser. He sent a powerful shock to the boy's hand, shooting the gun out of his hand. Coby scrambled to pick it up.

Taking his chance, Conan went up to the ld typewriter, trying desperately to find any remembrance of the king and queen's names. He didn't see any name in the diary, or any name indicated in the documents and photos, yet the answer was right in front of him; otherwise Gin wouldn't have brought it up. Suddenly, Conan felt a sharp pain go through his body; he grabbed the type writer to keep himself from falling. He looked at the clock, 2hrs 23 min 13 sec to go.

"Honestly, detective boy…you're better than this, aren't you?" Gin smirked. "Coby-kun…you're being too slow."

"Yes sir!" Coby grabbed his gun and pointed it at Conan. "Sorry Conan! But I have to!"

"COBY-SAN!" The gun fired, and Conan braced himself for pain. But when nothing came, he opened his eyes, and fell on his butt. An arm was stretched out in front of him, and had caught the bullet in front of him; the bullet's outline was seen through the rubber-skin. The bullet was deflected, and Luffy appeared in front of Conan. "Luffy-san!"

"Luffy-kun!" Coby exclaimed.

"Coby! What are you doing? Don't hurt Conan!" Luffy ordered.

"I'm sorry, but…" Coby started sobbing again.

"He doesn't have a choice." Luffy turned his head upwards to the voice, his eyes narrowed slightly at the man with long hair, smoking casually on the railing. "You must be the famous Monkey D. Luffy-kun, I've heard much of you."

"Who the hell are you?" Luffy's asked neutrally.

"Luffy-san…be careful, he's the one they sent." Conan got up.

"Who sent?" The pirate captain's eyes didn't leave the silver-haired man. "Answer me. Who are you? Why are you making Coby attack Conan?"

"Hahaha…you're as straightforward as they said you were too…I'm Gin, executive member of the Black Organization…at your service." The man's smirk had pissed Luffy off more than Crocodile's pathetic punches.

**Review Please! Okay, there are several reasons why I chose Gin. First: he won the popularity contest by one vote off from Vodka, it was pretty close btwn them for awhile. Secondly, when I think about it, he would be best suited for the fic, because he'd be the one most likely to go into One Piece to start something. Vodka nor any other of the members are not with him, mainly to simplify things, and to make things extra intense for Conan. For those of you with concerns about his death, relax! While I did plan on killing the BO character off for awhile, I thought of a better ending that would allow him to live. **

**Also, there will be no character-deaths (One Piece or Case Closed), mainly to leave the time-lines unaffected, and I honestly don't want to kill off Whitebeard, and Gin's death would leave the Case Closed story-line problematic. Last thing, I looked up 'Lethal Injection' on the internet, and those were the drugs listed. If you have any questions, comments, or conceerns, review or PM me!**


	43. Trapped

**This chapter is dedicated to the band, Dead by April; thank you for giving me the will and power to write, you amazing music band. In this chapter, a lot of the fights will end, but not all of them. This is mainly because I'm getting overwhelmed with all the fight scenes, and I don't want to burn myself out for certain fights that I want highlighted. Conan and Luffy are still in the clock tower, and get unexpected help, and Conan is given the last crucial piece of information to the Void Century mystery. Also, for those of you who are concerned about Conan's health; it's not that I'm forgetting about his health problem, I'm just saving it for a different chapter, which I promise is coming up. So, without further ado, read, enjoy, review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed **

Gin smirked as he analyzed the captain with a careful eye; as stupid as the boy obviously was, Gin knew from the intelligence reports, not to underestimate him. He had not done any direct combat with any devil fruit users, so for once, the detective had an experience-edge over him. A rare flub, but one that can easily be dealt with. "So…Strawhat-kun…what do you think?"

"Of what?" Luffy demanded.

"This setup." He laughed, indicating Conan, Coby, and Helmeppo. "I'm forcing Conan to save them, while Coby-kun tries to kill him."

"What?" Luffy snapped.

"It's not by Coby-kun's choice of course. However…if Coby-kun doesn't comply, he'll only bring pain on himself, as well as take away any chance at saving Helmeppor-kun. You see detective-boy…" He turned his gaze to Conan. "…You have to save both of them…if one dies, the other dies as well. Understand?"

"Bastard." Conan glared.

"You...you're the one whose been making Conan suffer, haven't you?" Luffy looked at the man. "You're also the one forcing everyone to fight right now, aren't you?"

"Eh. Isn't it a wonderful scene?" Gin laughed.

"So the Navy and Wold Government were scared and brought you and your men in." Luffy concluded.

'This guy's capable of thinking?' Conan thought.

"In the simplest form: yes. You and the rest of the pirates scare these spinless bastards quite a bit." The dark man laughed.

"I'm only giving you one chance." Luffy's gaze hardened, causing the man to frown. "Stop all this right now; the war, let Helmeppo and Coby go, and let Conan go home. All of it, now."

"Or what?" Gin snorted.

"SHISH!" Luffy suddenly reappeared next to the Black ORganziation member. "GUM GUM PISTOL!" Luffy sent his signature punch at the man, sending him flying.

CRASH! Gin groaned in pain as he struggled to stand up, so that was the strength of a devil fruit user. "You litte…"

"Stop all of it." Luffy repeated. "Next time, it'll be a strong punch."

"Luffy-san…" Coby and Conan watched in amazement; the detective blinked in realization and headed towards the typewriter. He launched himself into typing, furiously entering any possible solutions to the equaltions.

Meanwhile, Gin and completely forgotten about the detective, and was focused on the rubber man. "You're exactly as they say, Strawhat-kun…stupid, strong, but most of all, persistent." Gin growled, a little bit of Kudo was in him. "I hate brats like you."

"And I hate batards like you! GUM GUM NO PISTOL!" Luffy launched another punch, only for his arm to be caught. Luffy stared, a hand reached out from the shadow behind Gin, and now had his arm. "Oi! Who are you? Show yourself!"

"HAHAHANYA! You don't think do you, Strawhat?" Out of the shadows, came a large man, in tradiational Viking clothes. "I'm Avalo Pizarro, First Mate of the Blackbeard Pirates."

"You're so cowardly…giving yourself a leadership position without the captain here" Outstepped a pale, thin man, with tap shoes and a dancing cane. "I'm Laffitte, the Navigator of the Blackbeard crew. I'm afraid oneo f our crewmates, Sanjuan Wolf, couldn't make it here, due to his size."

"Wiiihahaha! I wanna fight him! I'm the champion, so I have to prove I'm stronger than him. I'm Jesus Burgess, remember that!" A masked wrestler stepped out next.

"You people are so loud, I'm so nauseous." The last person to appear was a large sickly man, on an even sicker horse. "I'm Doc. Q; the doctor of the Blackbeard pirates; I wish I could sleep now."

"Blackbeard…" Luffy's eyes turned wild; that was the creep who sent Ace to Imepl Down. "You…BASTARDS!" Luffy snapped his arm back from Pizarro and crouched down. "GEAR 2!" His body turned a pinkish color, and steam emitted from his body. He disappeard and reappeard beside the large group of people, sending an elongated kcik to them, crashing them even further away from Conan and Coby. Luffy glanced down at them, and inwardly sighed with relief when he saw Conan and Coby push buttons on an old typewriter. He would've asked what they were doing, had it not been for the situation.

"Hehe…taste this!" Burgess charged forward, landing a punch on Luffy; it fazed the boy slighty, but due to his second gear, he quickly recovered.

"Gotcha'!" Pizzaro appeard and was read to punch Luffy.

"SLAVE ARROW!" Pizzaro stopped and side-stepped. The men turned to lookup, frowning at the presence at the female Shichibukai. "Fools! Anyone who dares to hurt my love will face the consequences!" Boa Hancock leaped down to join Luffy's side.

"Hmph. Boa Hancock, correct?" Laffite smiled poltiley. "Your beauty surprasses even the legends about you."

"Be greatful that my beauty will be the last thing you ever witness, MERO MERO MERO!" HAcock got her ahnds in position, and shot the hearts. Laffitte smiled, and jumped back. "Unfortuatnly for you, the Black Organization was kind enough to gather information on all of the Shichbukai's limitations, including your own Miss Hancock."

"Take this!" Burgess charged forward with a fist; Luffy got in front of Hancock, and was about to launch into a punch.

BANG! A orange blurb suddenly appeared in front of Luffy and Hancock; both stared. It was a familiar white bear, in an orange jump suit; he was in a Kung-Fu fighting stance. He had just sent the maksed wrestler to the ground. Gin frowned, suddenly feeling anxiety come into his body; he hadn't had a plan fail in years.

Laffitte frowned, as did the others in Blackbeard's crew. "Good job Bepo." Luffy and Hancock whirled behind them; they saw a familiar medic pirate, along with his small crew. Other than Bepo who was in fronto f Luffy and Hancock; Jean Bart, Sachi, and Penguin looked ready to fight. Traflager Law stood up, and went to look down at Conan frantically punching in keyboard phrases. After a moment, he turned back to his crew. "You guys help Strawhat and Hancock; looks like I'm needed down there."

"Law!" Luffy suddenly remembered him. "You know Conan too?"

"Eh. Little punk ditched me at Karakuri when Blackbeard's crew came in." Law explained, and sent a pointed glare at Doc. Q. "I have a special quarrel with Doc. Q, but it's not important enough to deal with right now."

"Wait!" Hancock stopped him. "How can we trust you?"

"Simple." Law gave a wry smile. "I owe the brat a favor, just like everyone else whose fighting for him."

**Franky, Sanji, and Sentomaru, Lucci, Marguerite, Ussop, and Brook vs. Dr. VegaPunk**

This had become a freakin' free for all, Lucci sighed. He and his group had joined the blonde cook, idiot carpenter, and Sentomaru. They were all handeling themselves well against VegaPunk's system, but the cyborg's were becoming overwhelming. The idiot cook had used too powerful kicks into his first attacks, Marguriete was too inexperieinced, Ussop didn't have the amo neccassary, they were too fast for Franky, and Sentomaru was too conflicted. Brook was fairing fairly well, his light speed and weight, made it harder for the cyborgs to hit, and Brook had actually managed to cut several in half. But Lucci himself, was running out of steam.

Lucci appeared in front of several cyborgs, and destroyed them with one kick.

"My, my, Lucci-kun…" Lucci turned to VegaPunk. The man suddenly grew legs from his backpack, and towered over Lucci. Everyone ceased their movements and watched the man in astonishment. "You see people…I also modified my body…the human body has too many limitations, so I decided to test myself to the limit."

"Sir…" Sentomaru mumbled.

"Don't worry Sentomaru-kun, you can relish these lessons in death." VegaPunk raised a leg and brought it down. The group scrattered.

"Yohoho! I hate spiders!" Brook laughed and unsheathed his sword. SLASH! Brook slashed two of the legs off the metallic legs.

"Huh…I suppose this could be disadvantageous." VegaPunk murmured.

"TAKE THIS!" Franky launched several bazooka at VegaPunk, on managed to damage to automated nervous system on his chest.

VegaPunk's eyes widened. "How…my technology is superior to any of you."

"That's just it, it's just technology." Franky spoke up. "Take it from someone whose had to reborn human, techonogly isn't the same as a soul."

"Soul…?" VegaPunk repeated.

"Yeah. Without a will or reason, all of us are just robots waiting to be switched on or off." Sentomaru spoke, stepping forward. "You told me that sir, you told me to never lose my soul, and never become a robot. You became a ropot the seonc dyou made that deal with those Black Organization bastards."

"No…" VegaPunk's legs failed, he fell to the ground.

"I promise I'll put you back together sir, I'll never tell anyone about where you are! You can keep inventing! Take your soul back!" No one else in the group interfered as Sentomaru brought his blade down.

**Nami, Robin, and Chopper vs. Tsuru**

Tsuru stood in front of the group of pirates; she was perfectly fine, while the rest were patning. Chopper had long-been struck down by her devil fruit, the navigator had one of her arms cleaned out, while Robin had to concentrate on the fight, while holding Chopper out of danger.

Tsuru had to give them credit; they lasted longer against her than any other pirate. She stared at them, and spoke. "I don't understand you pirates. You have no sense of justice, but you have a sense of right and wrong; are you doing this because your captain is odering it or because you genuinely want to help him?"

"For an old woman, you're rather foolish." Robin answered. "He is our nakama, so naturally we'll fight for him."

"Why do you consider the boy your crewmate? He wasn't even in the line of crime where he came from to begin with." Tsuru explained logically.

"TWIST!" Robin sprouted her arms, and twisted Tsuru's body. While Tsuru expected that, she didn't expect Robin's arms to twist that fast.

"THUNDER CLAP!" Tsuru's eyes widened. Robin had used her hands to distract her, while Nami had charged up her weapon, and it was too late to react. However, when the killing blow didn't come, Tsuru looked up to see the two women trying to revive Chopper. She stared, when was the last time she sae comradery like that?

**Zoro, Jinbe, and Rayleigh vs. Kizaru**

"Just go on. I'm bored now." Kizaru yawned.

"Giving up, Kizaru-kun?" Rayleigh asked.

"Nope. I just pity the boy, how much time does he have left?" Kizaru pondered. "Besides…whether he lives or dies, there's no reason for us to fight right now. Sengoku-san and Akainu-san have their backs turned, so I'll take this oppurutnity to be lazy."

"Who would've thought you'd have a sense of honor." Jinbe snorted.

"Fine with me." Zoro shethed his sowrds, surpring the yellow admiral. "That means we can find the others."

**Ace and Aokiji vs. Akainu**

Ace and Aokiji kept combing their bruning ice attack, but it was taking a lot out of them. Ace had to keep the temperature of his flames so low it was almost sedative, while Aokiji had to make his ice thick enough to last Ace's flames. However, their effort was worth it; they had Akainu on the run. He was huffinf, and had several huge ice-burn marks on his limbs; one on each leg and arm.

"Admiral." Ace panted. "We need to switch strategies."

"Agreed." Panted Aokiji. "What do you have in mind?"

"Nothing yet but…" He smirked when he saw Akainu gritting his teeth in pain, the burn marks reminded him of something; something he learned when he first met the boy, something he wanted to kill the magma bastard for. "Let's do one more…I believe Conan wants some kind of justice, right?"

Aokiji smirked when he realized what the young pirate was talking about. "Couldn't agree more, Fire Fist."

"Jaa…let's do this." Ace got into position. "Akainu-san…there's been something I've been meaning to ask you."

"What is it?" Akainu growled.

"Were you the one who put that burn mark on Conan's neck?" Ace asked quietly.

"Ah. He had refused to comply with orders, so I did what I thought was best." Akainu answered nonchantly.

"I see…what was the order he disobeyed?" The young pirate asked.

"He had the nerve to request 'valid' information form us about you father." Noting the look of confusion from the young pirate the admiral continued. "He said that the information we had about Gol. D. Roger was too biased and that he couldn't make a proper deduction about where One Piece was located." Ace's eyes widened. "He said that the information was too one-sided, and said while he didn't know Roger or anything about the pirate world, that didn't mean that he didn't have another side. He stood up for you father unintentionally, so the boy needed to be shown what happens to those who associate with pirate scum."

Ace was speechless; Conan had that injury on his neck because he stoo up for his father of all people? Guilt struck the boy when he realized just why the detective got so upset when he first accused him of betrayal at Sabaody. He had almost gotten killed for standing up for his dad, intentional or not; that was why Conan didn't say anything to him. It was out of respect, not fear. "Scum?" Ace repeated. "The only people who are scum, are the people who harm defensless people, when they'd have no way to fight back. That detective isn't a pirate or revolutionary you bastard, he's just a kid trying to get his life back."

"His life ended when he went after the Black Organziation." Akainu replied.

"No…his life was stolen, and now he's fighting to take it back." Ace smirked when he noticed the ice admiral preparing something. "It's different than the path of the pirates, but it's one we can relate to. I see that now."

"Hmph. So be it." Akainu raised another magma fist, ready to launch. "Lay to rest then."

"ICE TIME!" Akainu whirled around to see Aokiji standing ontop of a water tower. Without saying award, he lifted his leg slighty and gave the tower a slight kick. SNAP! Like a golfball off a tee, the thing rolled off and the frozen metal snapped off like a suit. Water came down like rain. "ICE AGE!" Using a more subtle version attack, he actually partiatlly froze the rain, turning it into sleet.

"HEAT WAVE!" Ace used his subtle attack as well, and sent a red cloud into the sleet, combing them.

"GGRR!" Akainu gritted his teeth as the heat rain coming down. But horror struck him when he realized something, he couldn't move his body. Realization struck him, Ace hadn't actually melted the sleet, he just liquefied the freezing effects, and Aokiji reactivated them before they hit his skin. But before he could activate his magma.

SLAP! Akainu steered his eyes down to see Aokiji's ice had covered his who neck. "An eye for an eye, a burn for a burn, eh admiral?" Ace snapped his fingers, and the magma admiral screamed. "GAAAH!" Akainu suffered the same burning senseation his victiums felt when he used his magma; it only last a few seconds, and the heat and pain were so suffocating, he passed out in his standing position. The thin ice layer melted, dropping the man to the ground.

Ace and Aokiji glared at the corpse, and kicked him over to his back. He was definitely unconscious, but he wasn't on the verge of death. As much as they wanted to, both men knew their comrades took priority over this pitiful person. Besides…the satisifaction they got in seeing that burn mark on Akainu's neck, was the most poetic form of justice they witnessed.

**Garp vs. Dragon**

Garp and Dragon panted as they stood opposite of each other. They had various scratches all over their bodies; they had knocked each other around a fair bit, but neither had landed a solid blow on each other. Dragon put his palms to his sides, having mini-tornoados form in them. "WIND PILLARS!" He threw them at his father, and the two tornados grew tall, propelling the same forces between themselves; forcing Garp to stand in one place. The older man's expression didn't change as his son approached. But when when Dragon was close enough…BAM! Dragon was sent to the next wall, clutching his bleeding nose and mouth.

"Hmph! Didn't know I raised such a weak son." Sucking in a breath, Garp flexed his muscles, dispelling the wind. "You haven't fought hand to hand in years, have yah Dragon?"

"Shut up! I was too tramautized to punch anyone after the hell you put me through!" Dragon yelled and shot out his hand. "WIND DRILL!"

BAM! The wind-drill made a perfect srike against Garp's stomach, which actually sent him back a few feet, but not enough to back him against a wall. He coughed up a little blood and wiped his mouth. "You haven't changed Dragon…you're just a scared little boy who blames the world for his problems. Even down to your own son."

"Shut up." Dragon growled.

"After she died you couldn't even bear to look at Luffy, so you abandoned him at my door step. Did you know Dragon…when I told him about you…he didn't even know he had a father?" Garp sighed sadly.

"That's because you never told him, you fool!" Dragon yelled, getting another attack ready.

"You're the fool Dragon!" Suddenly, Garp vanished and was right up in Dragon's face, and grabbed his throat. "I wanted you to tell Luffy yourself…that's why I never told him." Dragon's eyes widened at his father's words. "I was hoping you'd gain the balls to face the son and memory you left behind, and congratulate him. I pushed Luffy to become a marine since the day he was born…but he pushed back just as hard; seeing him grow up with Ace and that Sabo kid…you would've been proud."

Garp relinquished his hold on Dragon, and stepped away. "I wanted Luffy and Ace to become marines to protect them from the same fate Roger met…the same fate you're going to meet. So…I thought by forcing myself to sacrificeone detective…I could save all of you."

"Father…" Dragon was speechless.

"You don't need to tell me it was foolish; I see that now. I see that…sacrificing anyone just to saave someone is fruitless, and will only make things worse. Besides…" Garp didn't hide the smirk. "I didn't think that detective boy had a pirate spirit. I never thought that he had it in him to fight for his life like this…even until the bitter end." Garp sighed and started walking towards the exit. "Let's put this fight on hold Dragon, you're too weak for me to fight, and I'm too distracted to deliver justice."

Composing himself, Dragon pulled his hood over his head again. "Indeed…till next time father." The younger man turned to the oppoise exit.

"GAHAHA! Don't die on me yet! I've still got plenty of love in these fists to deliver to you!" Garp laughed, this was ironically, the most civil talk he had with his son for years.

**Shanks and Mihawk vs. Blackbeard**

Blackbeard was shaking; he hadn't felt the fear of death enter him since his fight with Thatch two years ago. It was thrilling, but at the same time, terrifying. Shanks had wanted his head for several undisclosed reasons, while Mihawk had merely sided with his friend due to how preposterous the World Government's plot was.

"You wouldn't kill a fellow pirate, would you Red-Haired?" Blackbeard cried desperately.

"Don't you dare call yourself a pirate, you scum." Shanks' glare pierced his soul. He turned to his friend, who had sheathed his sword. "What are you doing Mihawk, this man is still alive?"

"I don't use this sword to kill squealing pigs who are reduced to begging for their lives." Mihawk replied, and unhooked his tiny blade around his neck. "Really…he should be honored I'm even pulling this out."

"Gehahaha…I misjudged this fight." Blackbeard's laugh made both men look at him. "I'm used to fighting and killing devil-fruit users; I'm not used to fighting actualy monsters who don't rely on other sources of power."

"Insolent fool. We got this strong by training, it'd be an insult to myself if I were to rely on a devil fruit." Mihawk snorted.

"I like swimming too much myself." Shanks shrugged. "But all kidding aside…I can't forgive you, for what you were going to do. Starting a war, just to give yourself a jumpstart on the rest of the Supernovas. How pathetic."

"Gehahaha! That's how it goes Red-Haired! As a pirate, you understand don't you?" Blackbeard laughed.

"Being a pirate doesn't make you a murderer, it doesn't make you a killer, and it sure as hell doesn't give you the right to screw with anyone else's freedom. When my captain died, he didn't leave One Piece around for any old man to find; he left it for a true pirate." Shanks explained. "Kudo-kun knew this about my captain, and that's why he won't ever say where he theorizes it is. He knows and respects his place regarding that secret, and I'm grateful to him for that."

"A pirate is a pirate! Regardless of what your values are Red-Haired!" Blackbeard was starting to get angry.

"No…a pirate is a man who seeks his own freedom; not to chain himself up with his own greed. My captain, would never leave his title and position to you. Never." Shanks gritted his teeth.

"Gehahaha! Guess I'll have to prove to you that I'm not the next pirate king." Both men tensed when black energy started to form around Blackbeard's body. "Be prepared to bow at my feet, Red-Haired."

**Sengoku vs. Whitebeard**

The titans had exchanged several massive blows, but neither was willing to bow out yet. "So what now Sengoku? You going to beat a dead horse until the corpse falls apart?"

Sengoku growled and raised a fist and threw it. "SHUT UP!"

Whitebeard met the golden fist with his own. Sengoku tried applying more force, and got ready to use a shocwave.

"You think I'd fall for something so obvious?" Whitebeard thre the collided fists up, and shamsed his fist into Sengoku's transformed arm.

CRACK! "Gahh!"

"Interesting…unlike Marco you don't have regeneration powers." Whitebeard smirked and thre his fist back, to deliver a world-crushing punch. He sent Sengoku back a few feet. The fleet admiral recovered himself,allowing his useless arm to dangle.

"I see…it seems as though I have no choice." Sengoku's glasses gleamed neutrally. "I'll have to release my divine justice, won't I?"

"What are you going on about Sengoku?" The old pirate demanded.

"Nothing…just contemplating about how I beat Kizaru out for the position of Fleet Admiral with this move." Segnoku's body glowed a strong gold. "You see Whitebeard…Commander Kong forbids me to use my release power due to how it effect certain things."

"Like what?" Whitebeard frowned.

"Oh nothing…just deliver divine punishment." Sengoku got into an agreesive Taijutsu stance. Whitebeard frowned, and readied his own weapon; he had a bad feeling about this.

**In the Clock Tower**

Law sat in his usual position with a pitied look on his face as the detective punched keys in the typewriter furiously, not having any luck. When the doctor noticed Conan's fever returning, he decided to step in. "Punching numbers in the keyboard isn't going to help anything."

"Then what do you suggest I do then?" Conan snapped. He noticed his body was going through the familiar signs of sickness in his body; he reached into his bag and pulled out the weird fruit Marguriete gave him. He bit into it, but Law stopped his mouth from chewing.

"Spit out the skin and body, only drink the fruit; your stomach can't handle solids right now." He ordered firmly. Conan nodded and hastly did as he was told. "You can't be so careless with your body, phsycally speaking, you're a wreck."

"My health is the last thing that's on my mind, Traflager-san." The detective replied, wiping the juice off his mouth.

"That thing's only going to hold you over for an hour. Do you have the last pill, VegaPunk gave you?" Law asked.

"Yeah…but he said not to use all of them." Conan replied. "Though…I used the first two for other reasons, so I guess it's-"

"Take that pill only when your on the verge of death. The clock's ticking and you want to extend your life as much as possible." The doctor scolded.

"You're right. Will Luffy-san be okay up there?" Conan asked, looking up.

"Ah. He's tough; those whimps don't stand a chance between him, Hancock, and my men." The doctor replied.

"I see." The detective looked slightly relieved.

"You're fond of Strawhat, huh?" Law smiled slightly.

"…Luffy-san has a stange power that isn't his devil fruit." Conan clenched his fists, and smiled. "He has a way of restoring hope in the hopeless, and making people as weak as me feel strong. If I were to catch him in my world…I'd be routing for him to scape probably."

"…I see. Strawhat…really does have that effect on people." Law nodded. "Speaking of effects, was it really necessary to knock at the pink guy?" He reffered, to the unconscious Coby.

"He has to shoot me with a gun until I figure out the combination to release Helmeppo." The detective explained.

"I see. That collar being used to control him?" Law asked.

"Yep." Conan nodded.

"I see." The pirate stood up and put out his hand. "ROOM." A blueish space appeard, engulfing him and Coby. "SHAMBLES!" Conan's eyes bugged out of his head when Coby's head detatched from his body, and his collar fell to the floor. Then his head got reattatched, and the blueish sphere went down. "Well that's one hostage down." He noticed the detective's astonished look. "What?"

"…You know what…at this point…asking about the biology and physics of this world isn't worth it. I concede defeat." Conan said in slight depression but his eyes widened as a plan snapped into formation in his head. "Traflager-san!" The pirate captain looked at him. "I've got a plan, but we've got to release Helmeppo-san first."

"Okay…what's your plan?" Law asked.

"I'll explain as I'm typing, now help me figure it out!" Conan demanded.

"What's the clue your looking for?" The pirate asked.

"The names of the Void Century King and Queen." The detective answered, punching keys again.

"I might actually be able to help with that." The detective paused his actions and turned to the pirate. "After we got separated at Karakuri, my men and I went back to VegaPunk's lab and dug up some old scriptures. There was a crown and captor on one of the books, but the signature of dedication was strange."

"What was it?" Conan asked.

"The dedication was: 'I hereby pledge this book to the names of 'Absolute Justice'; it was definitely from the Void Centruy, Robin said so herself. But she didn't get the reference etiher." He smirked when he noticed the detective's look. "You get it don't you?"

Conan couldn't believe it. "Yeah…that King and Queen's names…are literally 'Absolute Justice'."

**Review Please! So the only fights that are left are: Whitebeard vs. Sengoku; Shanks and Mihawk vs. Blackbeard; and the clock tower brawl. Conan and Gin will have their own fight. Sorry if any of the fights ended abruptly, but again...I am on the verge of over-extension. I'm not sure how many more chapters there will be, but it probably won't be fifty chapter. Lastly, if you have any questions or comments, review or PM me. Later!**


	44. Try not to Wake Me

**Finally! Not as many fight scenes! Okay, so in this chapter, Conan does indeed solve the code, but you people will not get the explanation behind the names until next chapter. Other stuff that happens, Shanks and Mihawk finish their fight with Blackbeard, and Sengoku almost loses his sanity. There's going to be one more chapter of fighting for Sengoku and Whitebeard, and that's coming up next chapter, after that, the chapters are going to be focusing on Gin and Conan's fight. I'm sorry if you guys feel like I half-assed Shanks and Mihawk's fight, I was just running out of steam. Anyways, without further ado, here's the next chapter. Read, enjoy, review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed, and I also based this chapter on a lyric in Dead by April's song, Trapped  
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Luffy steadied himself against his opponent, his irritation was distracting him from his prime concern; the state of his new crewmate. "GUM GUM NO PISTOL!" He shot his famous punch at his opponent, sending him back. The pirate captain took this opportunity to look down at the lower level, relief washed over him when he saw his crewmate being watched over by Law. He also saw that the collar around Coby's neck was off; he was about to jump down to join them, but an incoming axe made him change his mind. Luffy ducked and whirled to face his opponent. "Stay away from my nakama, you bastards."

"Hahahanya!" Pizzaro sported a bloody lip. "That boy ain't your nakama, Strawhat! He's just a purebred that escaped the show-ring! Besides…he's the least of your concerns right now!" He drew an axe from behind his back, and slapped it against his hand.

Luffy glared, getting into position. "Urusai. With everything Conan's been through with me and the rest of my crew, he is my nakama. No matter what!"

"He's just going to abandon you to go back to his home world! Do you really think he'd want to stay around us pirates! That wimpy law-abiding detective, who screwed himself over by following the system?"

POW! Pizzaro was sent to the ground again. "Shut up!" Luffy hadn't noticed it, but his punch had actually sent Pizaaro down several levels, knocking him out. Luffy slowly turned to his allies and other enemies, he barely noticed that Black Organization member had vanished. "What the hell do any of you know…about Conan?" Luffy clenched his fists. "You're right, he is a weak person; but he doesn't sit around and cry about his situation, he keeps fighting to change it. That's what makes him part of my nakama; he's strong enough to still chase his dream."

"Luffy-kun…" Hancock swooned.

"Strawhat…" Shachi, Penguin, and Bepo muttered.

"CONAN!" Luffy's shout carried through the clock tower, causing the speckled boy and Law to look up. Luffy hopped on the railing and grinned down at him. "We'll clear the way Conan! No looking back!"

**From Conan's view**

So many emotions went through Conan's mind and body, he grinned back at Luffy and gave him a thumbs up. "Got it! Don't hold back Luffy-san!"

"You're really into this now, aren't yah?" Conan turned to Law, who wore an amused smirk. "And here I thought you were on the verge of giving up."

"It's hard to give up when Luffy-san's working so hard." The detective replied.

"He's got Boa Hancock as his back up, we're in more danger than he is." Law pointed it out. "So, you figure this out yet?" He was referring to the still tube-strung Helmeppo.

"Sort of." Conan frowned and started punching letters again. "You see…as their last testament to the world, they left their names and marks in something that their enemies thought they stole. The term 'Absolute Justice', was the signature of the King and Queen that they left on everything. It was a sign and symbol to their followers, to let them know that they approved of an action, but would only give their real names if they didn't approve. It was their way of hiding themselves, hiding yourselves in plain sight is the best method when someone watches your every move."

"What are you saying, kid?" Law frowned in confusion.

"I'm saying that when the World Government stole 'Absolute Justice' from the king and queen, they thought they were stealing all the Void Century stood for. But the reality was, the King and Queen passed on their names the only way they could, and the only way for their true followers to find them again. To find the truth again. Somewhere along the line, all records of the Void Century were destroyed, and the followers had no way of finding their rulers again. That was until the written language was reinvented, and the Ohara archeologists put forth their efforts to bring their king and queen back to life."

"Wait…you're saying the Ohara scholars-"

"Yes. Ohara is the original location of the royal library; the Ohara scholars were the descendent of the original Void Council. They were the king and queen's most loyal followers; which means that Nico Robin is last living descendent of Void Nobility. With her status, she could override the Tenrryubito status, and everything the Gorosei and World Government set up would've been contradicted. So it wasn't that the Void Century was forbidden to everyone, it was just that they didn't want the Ohara scholars finding out the truth of the situation." Conan explained.

"So basically, if Robin found out her status, then by the World Government's justice, she would have full right and authority of the Tenryubito, and the Gorosei would've been forced to tell the truth regardless what policies they had in place before. Damn." Law muttered. "That's some messed up shit."

"Tell me about it." Conan groaned. "Anyways, the way they hid their names in 'Absolute Justice' is obvious."

"Really? How'd they do it?" Law raised a brow.

"Simple. The term 'Absolute Justice' is literally their names, rearranged." Law's eyes widened at the boy's words. "Law-san…it's an anagram; their names literally are 'Absolute Justice'."

"Are you serious?" Law exclaimed.

"Yeah. I'm typing in different ways for the letters to be arranged." Conan explained.

"You got a photographic memory?" The doctor quirked a brow.

"Not exactly. But I basically remember everything I see." Conan explained. He gritted his teeth in frustration at another failed attempt.

"Calm down." Law sighed. "Don't rush this; treat this like any other case you're solving. Go at the pace you need to."

"That's just it." The boy tensed his fingers against the keyboard. "I always work at a fast pace with cases, I don't know how not to rush it. The slower a case takes, the more evidence is lost, the more of a chance the culprit escapes."

"You're not dealing with a culprit here, you're dealing with a code here. Just stop and think about it." Law advised.

Taking a few breaths, Conan sighed and closed his eyes. "You're right, I have to- GAAH!" PAIN! Steadying himself by grasping the keyboard, Conan sank to his knees and slowly felt his throat close. He felt himself slump over, and fall into someone's hold. He glanced up at Law, who had a panicked expression on. "L-Law-san!"

"Damn!" Quickly laying the boy flat, he took off Conan's jacket, and used to it cushion his head slightly. He checked his forehead, and pulse; is eyes widened at the slowing paces. Law reached into his pockets, and pulled out various medical treatment. He then remembered the pill in Conan's pocket. "I'm gonna get the pill all right? Hey-Conan!" Dread hit the pirate captain when the boy's eyes closed. "CONAN!"

"LAW!" The pirate captain looked up to the Strawhat captain. The Blackbeard pirates were bloody messes, Hancock and his men were fine. Luffy jumped down to his level. "What's wrong with Conan."

Law clenched his teeth and stole a glance at the clock. 2hrs. 23min 16sec; that was all Conan and Helmeppo had left to live. Speaking of which-" "Luffy-san! Conan-kun! Helmeppo-san's-"

"We know!" Law cut him off.

Meanwhile, Conan's head was spinning; millions of images and memories were flooding into his head. Some from this world, others from his world; his mind kept wandering back to the clocktowers faces on Amazon Lilly and Fishman Island; he knew his brain and instincts were trying to give him the answer, but he was too weak to think straight. Suddenly, by complete instinct, his mind started looking closer at the swivels he thought were waves between the island designs on the drawings. Conan's mind snapped and his eyes opened. Hastily, he forced himself to get up, and moved forward to the keyboard.

"Conan?" Luffy asked.

"Oi!" Law was about to pull him back down.

"I've figured it out." His voice stopped their actions. "Please…" Conan put his fingers on the typewriter for the last time. "Let me finish this."

"Right!" Luffy nodded. With that, Conan went to type the right names of the king and queen, in that taking his last breaths.

A green light flashed, and Helmeppo's body was let down harshly, disconnecting from the IVs. "Helmeppo-san!" Coby went to this side.

"Yoshi! Conan! You did it!" Luffy smiled. "Conan…" Luffy's eyes widened as Conan's body fell backward. Luffy stretched his arms to catch him. Luffy's skin turned white as he felt the boy's life drain out him, he cradled Conan as gently as he could. No longer being able to hold back, he let out a strangled cry, "CONAN"!

**Whitebeard and Sengoku**

Pirates and marines stood on opposite sides as they watched their leaders clash. Whitebeard raised his bisento above his head, to block Sengoku's punch. Unlike him, Sengoku had transformed into his Zoan form a few minutes ago, and the old pirate was worried that this battleground wasn't going to hold them much longer. This fight was fairly pointless now, and the only reason why Sengoku was fighting him so fiercely was because he was embarrassed for allowing himself to be used by a bunch of Government seats. Whitebeard smirked at that thought. "What's the matter Sengoku? It's not like you weren't blinded by anything different."

"SHUTUP!" Sengoku tried to send another golden punch at Whitebeard, who merely deflected it again with his weapon. Whitebeard frowned; Sengoku's punches were becoming weaker, and his actions were more eretic. He had to end this before the island was destroyed. "What would you possibly know about what I was trying to accomplish?"

"I don't know what you were up to Sengoku, and frankly…" SMASH! Whitebeared punched a small area in mid-air near Sengoku's knee, causing the man to fall down. "…I don't care. Enough of this Senokgu…this fight is pointless; the detective brat's on the verge of winning, and neither of us have any business interfering with him anymore."

"NO!" The Fleet Admiral forced himself up. "This war will continue…Kudo-kun will die here…and the Black Organization will learn their place. Justice was on the verge of dying thanks to you pirates…that boy was just a means to revive it!" SMASH! Sengoku threw a punch of his own, which was once again blocked, but it did knock Whitebeard down slightly. "Sacrifices are sometimes necessary, and we all must adapt with the coming age, at least this way…the world won't be destroyed over night."

"Heh…" Whitebeard smirked and stood up again. "You think this will stop the war, Sengoku? You think this will erase the existence of One Piece? The only thing you've done is make the war more complicated, Sengoku; change is inevitable Sengoku, whether that detective brat had cooperated with you or not, it wouldn't have changed the result. The world is changing, the next generations of pirates and marines are rising; one detective boy or organization can't stop that."

The fleet admiral didn't say anything, but he clenched his fists. Whitebeard tensed, Sengoku's hair started morphing inot braids, and he grew slightly taller. "Perhaps I can't change the future, but…I'm not letting Kudo-kun leave here alive; he's just as dangerous as any pirate or revolutionary."

"Sengoku…you aren't serious…" Whitebeard threw a fist back' recognizing what Sengoku was about to do.

"I'm perfectly serious Whitebeard…this is my 'Absolute Justice'!" Throwing a fist back, the fleet admiral prepared another shcok wave and-

BBBBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOM! Whitebeard pounded his fist to the ground at the same time as Sengoku, causing a massive earthquake. The ground was cracking, the earth was shaking, and the screams of marines and pirates surrounded them. Whitebeard knew his sons would lead other pirates and revolutionaries to safety, but there was one thing he forgot.

"POPS! THE CLOCK TOWER!" Ace exclaimed, pointed at the building.

"WHAT?" Whitebeard looked on in horror. The cliff-side setting was crumbling; miraculously, all the remained was a skinny pathway to the clock tower, while the structure, strangely remained untouched. Whitebeard sighed in relief. "Detective brat…"

"LUFFY!" Ace was about to go after it.

"I'll go!" Marco volunteered and transformed. "I'll bring them back, I promise!"

"Luffy…" Nami dropped to her knees. The Strawhat crew were shocked at what just occurred; just what had become of their captain?

"Hmph…good riddance." Sengoku had his hair morph back into an afro, but still stayed in his Buddha form. The fleet admiral frowned when he observed Whitebeard, he wasn't saying anything, and he clenched his bisento tighter. "Whitebeard…"

"Don't talk Sengoku…" Whitebeard slowly turned back to him, his eyes blazing in rage. "I want the last thing these damn marines to hear…is you begging for mercy."

CRACK! Sengoku, despite being in his Buddha form, felt himself cough blood as he felt the Bisento's smooth end jab his stomach. Whitebeard then gathered a white sphere in his head, and shoved it against the side of Sengoku's head. CRACK! The fleet admiral was sent to a wall; the Buddha man was socked, he hadn't witnessed this ferocity from Whitebeard in a long time. And for the first time in years, Sengoku felt nervous in a fight. "I have no regrets Whitebeard, it had to be done."

"You won't have to feel regret Sengoku…you won't be able to." Whitebeard prepared another attack.

**Shanks and Mihawk**

POW! Blackbeard was sent to the ground, and felt a gun to his head. "Hey come on now…don't kill me!"

"Pirates don't beg for mercy." Shanks gritted his teeth, and readied the trigger.

RRRUMBLE!

"What the?" Shanks and Mihawk steadied themselves on the ground as they felt the earth quake. Their eyes widened as the ground cracked beneath them. Both turned to the battle behind them, and saw Whitebeard and Sengoku make that equilibrium punch. "Has Sengoku gone crazy?"

"Wouldn't surprise me frankly." Mihawk replied. In a sudden jerk, he pushed Shanks away and SLASH! His haki split right through the darkness and sent Blackbeard tumbling slightly. "Just because your eyes are scratched, doesn't make you blind, Red-Haired."

"Oh shut it, Mihawk!" Shanks glared and turned back to the tower. "That's were Luffy and Conan were…hope they're all right."

"The tower's still up, so they're obviously not dead, besides…we have our own worries to deal with right now." The swordsman replied.

"Yeah…" The pirates eyes narrowed as Blackbeard got up. "We do." Shanks drew his own sword.

When the dust cleared, both men narrowed their eyes. "Seems as though we have more company."

"GEHAHAHA!" Blackbeard laughed merrily at his crew, who joined him. "It's been fun Red-Haired, Mihawk…but now that my crew's here…there's no reason to continue this battle."

"You think you're getting away?" Mihawk scoffed.

"HAHAHANYA! You don't have a choice!" Pizzaro spoke up. "That little detective's only got 3hrs left, and he's dying." Shanks' eyes widened. "You've got no time to be worrying about us!"

"Gehahaha! Till next time Red-Haired!" And in the next instant, surprised both swordsman. Blackebeard and his mean dropped into the cracks that had been made by Whitebeard and Sengoku's fight, dispearing into the pits.

"Damn coward!" Shanks was about to charge after them, but was stopped by Mihawk.

"We have more important things to do than chase down weak cowards. One of us needs to stop the fight between those two…" Mihawk referred to Whitebeard and Sengoku. "And the other needs to go after the young ones inside the clock tower; which do you prefer?"

Clenching his teeth, Shanks slowly put his sword away, and sighed. "Don't worry about the tower, my men are already on it; we need to make Sengoku see the light."

**The Clocktower**

Law sighed as Luffy and Hancock looked over Conan's unconscious form as he attended to the blonde marine. He questioned himself just why he was helping a marine, and then he remembered…Red-Haired Shanks got interesting black mail on him from his home island, and the mayor happened to hate him for breaking his daughter's heart. He vowed revenge on that damned mayor when this whole thing was over; Helmeppo and Coby were both fine, just badly shaken up. The Blackbeard pirates had long-since retreated, his men were standing watch, and he wondered briefly just what the hell Hancock's purpose in life was other than eye-candy at this point. The main thing that was bothering him was that damned Black Organization guy; he was missing.

"OI!" Law turned his attention to the beaten-up froms of Tashigi and Smoker. The pirates tensed at their presence, but neither of the older marines looked in any shape to fight. "What happened here?" Smoker referred to the unconscious detective boy and the two injured Petty Officers.

"It was terrible Sir!" Coby exclaimed, before anyone could answer. "The Black Organization bastard, he betrayed us!"

"What?" Tashigi exclaimed. "That's impossible! They don't have the manpower to take on the Navy."

"With advanced technological weapons and a bunch idiots in charge of the Navy, that doesn't really matter." Law replied. He frowned when Smoker and Tashigi pointed their weapons at him. "Don't do anything stupid; we're all tiered and stressed, and I'm doing you the charity of saving this marine's life. Push me, and I can easily end it too."

"Why you-" Tashigi was about to charge forward, but Law's crew got int front of him, as well as Coby.

"Don't!" Coby pleaded. "Please! I'll tell you everything that happened!"

After ten minutes, the two older marines were finally convinced that the pirates were on their side, at least temporarily. Smoker frowned. "So how's the kid?" Referring to Conan.

Law sighed. "I administered his last pill just in time, but he needs to snap out of it." He looked at his watch. "He only he has 2hrs left. I'm hoping he isn't dying in his sleep over there."

"Don't say that!" Luffy snapped. Everyone looked at him, gaining his attention. "Conan made it this far! He saved Helmeppo! He saved Ace! I know he can make it out of this!"

"Luffy…Conan-kun's quite weak." Hancock said sadly; she may not have liked the boy, but even she had to admit, after hearing what he had gone through, she was quite impressed. "Besides…we still have that Black Organization man to deal with."

"Forget that." Penguin spoke up. "With all the rampaging Whitebeard and Sengoku are doing outside, we'll be lucky to make it out here alive, ourselves."

"Ah. I felt the quakes too." Law frowned. "We need to evacuate this place; the sub's within a walkable path below this place, and it's our opportunity to leave."

"What about the Black Organization guy?" Tashigi pointed out.

"Don't worry…" Law smirked. "He knows by now he's on the verge of becoming a trapped rat, he's going to follow us to the sub, hoping to either stowaway or steal it. On my mark, we strike. Everyone got it?"

"Right!" Everyone agreed.

"By the way…" Bepo spoke up. "What were the names of the king and queen anyways?"

"Oh, that." Law pulled out a piece of old parchment. It was one of the plans from VegaPunk's lab. "He wasn't sure if he'd be able to apologize to Nico Robin for not being able to tell her the truth, so he had me write down the names of the King and Queen as he typed them in."

"What does it say?" Sachi asked.

"Let's see…" Law unfolded the paper and smirked. "Hey…how many of you are still mad at Sengoku?"

"Where are you going with this, Traflager?" Smorker narrowed his eyes.

"Something that I think we can all agree on." He turned to Luffy, who had made it his job to protect Conan's unconscious form. "Think you're up for an announcement, Strawhat?"

Luffy didn't know what the other captain was planning, but grinned. "YEP!"

**Outside the Clocktower**

Despite being in his Buddha form, the Fleet Admiral found himself getting overwhelmed very quickly. Whitebeard was pissed, that much was for sure. As they were about to exchange blows once again, something stopped them.

"HEEEY!" Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to loud shout. Everyone in Luffy's crew, and Ace, broke out into huge grins, relieved to see their captain and brother unharmed. He was standing on the very top of the clock-tower, along with the Heart Pirates, Boa Hancock, Coby, Helmeppo, Tashigi, and Smoker. Conan appeared to be asleep on his back. "CONAN STOPPED THE BLACK ORGANIZATION BY FIGURING OUT THE NAMES OF THE KING AND QUEEN OF THE VOID CENTURY!"

Sengoku's eyes widened, while Whitebeard smirked, as well as the rest of the pirates. Everyone knew what was happening next. "NO!" Sengoku was about to punched the ground again, but Whitbeard whacked him with his weapon.

"TO CONCLUDE OUR VICTORY, AS LAW PUT IT, THE NAMES OF THE KING AND QUEEN ARE:" Luffy wore a big grin.

"Aaahh…" Sengoku's eyes and veins were pulsing with dread.

"BESTIAL OBLATE ABLEST AND OSIER IRE ANIMA!" Luffy shouted proudly. Law whispered something in his ear. "RESPECTIVELY!" Luffy added the last part.

"How…" Sengoku fell to his knees. "That detective…all traces of those names were erased…how did he…?"

"I suppose he's the world's greatest detective in his world for a reason, Sengoku." Shanks spoke up. "But he's also claimed this world's title of best detective; nice going kid."

"It's not over…SEISMIC STRIKE!" As a last testament to his power, Sengoku shot a shock blast straight at the tower.

"DAMN!" Mihawk quickly sent the most powerful slash he could at it, deflating it slightly. A flash of blue fire, got in front of the shockwave, taking care of the rest. Marco panted heavily, and forced himself to land smoothly on the ground.

"MARCO!" Ace and the other Whitebeard pirates ran to him. "You okay?"

"Damn Fleet Admiral!" Jozu growled.

"YOU FOOL!" PUNCH! Whitebeard sent a direct hit to Sengoku's abdomen, sending him to another old building. "This is your end Sengoku!"

**With the Clocktower**

As much as Luffy wanted to jump down from the building, he agreed it was a better idea to stay with the group, not to mention, he doubted Conan could handle it at the moment. He and the rest of the group were running down the various levels of the collapsing clocktower; he frowned. How was Conan going to get home now. They eventually arrived at the bottom level of the clocktower, they were faced with an underwater cavern, and were met with two revolutionaries (Inazuna and Ivankov) and the Red-Haired crew guarding the sub.

"Hurry! We got to get moving!" Law ordered, everyone on the sub.

"What about Conan-kun? He needs to get home somehow!" Coby pointed out.

"WE'll figure that out later, but we aren't going to be any use if we're dead!" Law exclaimed.

"Calm down." Benn Beckman approached the young medic. "We've got ninety minutes until he kicks the bucket, we'll find a way."

"BEN!" Luffy smiled widely in recognition. "EVERYONE!"

"HEY ANCHOR!" The crew cheered.

"You know the Red-Haired Pirates?" Law asked indigently, with his crew staring at Luffy with gaping mouths.

"Yep! Shanks was the one who inspired me to become a pirate!" Luffy smiled.

"Great reunion! Can we get going now?" Helmeppo exclaimed, being held up by Coby.

"Good idea! Let's move out!" Law replied.

BANG! Everyone froze as a can was shot onto the board of the sub, before anyone could do anything- SPEW! Some sort of gas was released, causing most of the crew to drop. "W-What is this?" Hancock muttered through her hand.

"Some type of gas!" Bepo gagged, falling.

"Obviously, but-" Helmeppo, and everyone had their bodies become numb and they dropped to the sub's floor. "W-What's going on? I can't move!"

"Neither can I!" Sachi and Penguin exclaimed.

"Paralytic gas huh?" Law growled, and tried using his devil fruit. His eyes widened when nothing happened. "Don't tell me…this is…"

"Yes, you are right about it being a paralytic gas." Everyone tensed at the familiar voice. Luffy growled up at the man as he approached him and Conan. Luffy forced himself to fall face-forward, due to the danger of Conan possibly suffocating under his weight. He glared straight at Gin, his eyes blazing with rage. "This gas is a mixture of Grade A Black Organization paralysis, with a hint of seastone; just to make sure I'm no longer surprised by you devil fruit owners. While you did throw a wrench in my plans, all of you did manage to make it more entertaining." The rest of the group glared.

"You're a dead man, Gin-san…a dead man…" Ben growled.

"I've lost count of how many people have said that to men." Gin laughed, and roughly plucked the unconscious detective from Luffy's back.

"CONAN!" Luffy struggled, trying to force his body to move.

"NO! Where are you taking him?" Ivankov demanded.

"Nowhere special…you see…the likelihood is…he and I are both going to die so…" Gin reached into his pocket and pulled out a gun of some kind, he shot it at an upper-floor railing, and a cord came flying out. "I want a final showdown…just between me and him…just like it was meant to be…"

"You won't get away with this." Inazuna said neutrally.

"You never know…" Gin felt himself being yanked from the sub's deck, and soon found himself on the railing. With Conan in one arm, he calmly walked down the stairs to the main entrance of the watery basement. "But I know one thing for sure…I'll get my final match." With that, the doors opened, and the last thing they saw was Gin's retreating back, carrying the helpless detective.

"Damn! We got to-" Coby's sentence was cut-off by a sudden explosion. BBOOM! A small bomb had gone off, and the rocky area where it had been had collapsed in front of the entrance Gin exited from; making further entry or exit impossible. "No…he's planning to really end things for him…"

Everyone was speechless and felt helpless. Luffy, on the other hand, was staring furiously at the blocked door, and in the loudest and most furious cry, he called:

"CONAN!"

**Review Please! Sorry if Sengoku seemed a bit out of character, it was for the sake of the fic! As far as chapters go, there's probably going to be four or five left; as I said, it's not going to be fifty chapters! I know you guys will be wondering about the king and queen's names, and rest assured, it will be explained in the next chapter. I really want to write an epic fight scene between Whitebeard and Sengoku, but I'm not used to writing such slow-moving fighters; both are powerful, but move at the speed of a tortise. Not used to that. For any comments, questions, or concerns, PM or review me!**


	45. Get Out Alive

**Hey guys! As much as I hate midterms and group projects (especially when they happen at the same time and are all due at same time), they make me restless and want to work on everything. I don't have time to update this weekend, so I'm updating early. And also, I've finally figured out how many more chapters there will be! After this chapter, there will be two or three (maybe) more chapters! I'm setting up a nice climax, but I don't want it to be too drawn out. Yes, this fic's end is drawing near at last. But we'll talk more about that later! For this chapter, Whitebeard and Sengoku's fight ends and the final battle begins between Conan and Gin. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much I did! So please, read, enjoy, review!  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed  
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Nico Robin couldn't believe her ears; that detective boy had solved the names of the Void Century King and Queen; how had he done this? Why did he do this? How much did he know about the Void Century. She frowned when she thought of how she saw the detective boy on her captain's back. How much did he really know about her? Why hadn't he told her about the Void Century? And then she remembered Tsuru's words…he didn't answer her to protect her and whoever her father was. He had obviously met her father, but Conan had promised him he wouldn't say anything about what he found to her. Conan was being respectful of her, nothing more. She thought of the condition he was in, the boy was unconscious, and was clearly getting worse; she wondered how long he had before his time ran out.

BOOM! She jumped back to avoid a flying boulder, and saw that her crew was just as worried as she was. Whitebeard was on the verge of destroying this historical site, in the pursuit of killing Sengoku. As much as she wanted the Fleet Admiral dead, she also didn't want to see the original Void Kingdom go down.

"I hope Conan and Luffy are okay." She looked down at Chopper, whom she forgot she was holding.

She nodded. "Eh. I do too."

**Meanwhile**

Tick! Tock! Tick! Tock! Conan groaned at the loud sounds, forcing himself to open his eyes. After a few blinks, he shot up and frantically looked at his surroundings, and that was when he realized he was moving forward in such jerky movements. He sprang to his feet and found himself on a large gear, jerking forward at the pace of the pendulum swinging behind him. There were gears, chains with weights attached to them, and several conveyer belts connected to the gears. Conan quickly realized that he was still in the clock tower, but where were Luffy and the others? "Luffy-san? Coby-san? Law-san?" He called frantically, while looking at his surroundings. Some relief hit him, when he saw something slightly familiar, about a flight below him; the face of the clock-tower was placed in the same area it had been when he fell unconscious, and that told him where exactly he was in the clock-tower. But that was when it hit him! He fell unconscious, and Law forced his last pill down his throat! Where were they? How much time did he have left? Was Helmeppo alive? "LUFFY-SAN!" He cried out again.

"Didn't know you could scream so loud, detective boy." Conan whirled around to see the familiar figure of black and silver hair. Gin was standing on a large weight, hung up by a chain. He grinned down at the weary detective, and started making his descent. "I've got a hand it to you, Kudo; you really are a great detective. I was certain you wouldn't have gotten the names of the king and queen, how'd you do it?"

"…Where are Luffy-san and the others?" Conan ignored his question.

BANG! Conan jumped back, as Gin shot his gun. "If I were you, I'd cooperate. You don't have much time left to live, and you have no idea where your pirates friends are either. So how about we make a deal: I'll explain myself to you, and you explain yourself to me. Agreed?" He smirked as the detective gave a slight nod of his head. "Excellent. Now tell me…how'd you figure it out?"

Conan gritted his teeth but answered anyways. "I'm not sure how to explain what I went through when I almost lost consciousness but…I started remembering the designs at the temple sights of Amazon Lilly and Fishman Island; in between the badly drawn waves, I spotted a signature on each of them. Osier's signature was on Amazon Lilly's, and Bestial's was on Fishman Island's; the answer was obvious."

"What about how neither name is a complete anagram?" Gin pointed out.

"It was the final measure to throw the Gorosei off; they knew that if they did a full anagram of their name, then they would've caught on eventually. So they stuck with a partial anagram, with the word 'Absolute' jumbled up. If I hadn't remembered the signatures, then those names would've been impossible to deduce otherwise. The puzzle was all there, but some of the pieces were broken." Conan explained and glared at him. "Satisfied? Now tell me where Luffy-san and the others are."

"Fine, fine, you've earned that much at the very least." Gin smirked and stepped off the weight, and strode down various gears, and eventually landed on the same level as Conan. "Your pirate friends are all unharmed, including the few marines with them, for now. While you were unconscious, Strawhat took the liberty of announcing the Void king and queen's name for you; congratulations…you made the final checkmate on the Fleet Admiral."

"As endearing as that is, that's not my main concern. Where are they?" The detective demanded.

"I'm getting there; I'm not sure if you know this, but unlike most pirates in this world, Law owns a submarine, instead of a pirate ship." Gin started. "There's an underwater entryway down below the basement they used to get in here, along with two revolutionaries and the bridaged known as the Red-Haired pirates, minus their captain who had his own engagements to attend to." Conan frowned, he didn't like where this was going. "Anyways, Strawhat, the pirate doctor and his crew, the Amazonian, Red-Haired's crew, the revolutionaries, and the stray marines are all down below in that cavern waiting for you. They were trying to make their escape, considering how this clock tower's about to collapse."

"What?" Panic shot through Conan.

"Relax; we still have awhile; Whitebeard and Sengoku's battle is still progressing, but both have to worry about casualties on their sides, so I'd imagine the structure will hold on for a short while longer. Sengoku-san has a hilarious devil fruit, the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Daibutsu, a rarer-than-rare devil, probably the rarest of this world. He transforms into a giant Buddha essentially, and can make shockwaves. Whitebeard is the Gura Gura no Mi, the ability to destroy the world and make earthquakes; the world's most powerful devil fruit. Quite a match-up; a shame we won't be seeing it." Gin explained serenely. "Now back to our situation, they were about to take you away, but I graciously took you off their hands."

"So, they're still in the underwater cavern?" Conan sighed in relief, but then he realized something. "Wait…Luffy-san and the others wouldn't have let you take me. What'd you do to them?"

"Always the sharp one, Kudo-kun." Gin chuckled. "I shot a nice amount of paralytic gas at them, with a hint of seastone fragment; the neutralization effects are only temporary, but it'll ensure that no powers or limbs can be used on their end."

"What was the point of that?" Conan had a very bad feeling.

"Despite how greatly entertained I was by their effort, it also left me greatly distraught; obviously, our leader, has decided to take our business elsewhere. But with our discovery lead by VegaPunk, imagine the possibilities of what other worlds are out there. As an intellectual, I'm surprised that you're not more enthralled by the opportunities." Gin explained. "However, that doesn't change the fact that I'm going to die, and your life is about to end; so I want us both to go in the way we were destined to."

"What are you talking about?" Conan asked.

"Think about it Kudo; you were the one who followed me, and I was the one who made you what you are now, it's only fit that we go out like this." Gin smirked and pulled out another remote device. "I thought I'd need more than one explosion, and I know you'd never agree to this on your own, so I set up another bomb. It's inside the canister of gas I threw on Law's ship."

Conan was speechless. "W-What? There's a bomb on Law's sub?"

"Eh. And everyone was nice enough to gather on the upper deck." Gin answered. "Now, you obviously know the few weaknesses of a devil fruit user."

"Seastone and water." Conan clenched his fists, his eyes widening. "Because they can't move, they can't throw the bomb off the sub or go below deck, and the bomb won't be large enough to kill them, just enough to crack the sub enough to sink. They'll…drown."

"Exactly. I knew you'd catch on." Gin smiled.

"Gin-san…I don't care what happens to me at this point, just let them go; they had nothing to do with my escape, and they certainly had nothing to do with Sengoku's plan; don't punish them for something I did." Conan pleaded.

"As boring as your heartfelt submission is, that's not what I want or intend; it frankly doesn't make any difference to me, whether those idiots live or die. And frankly, I'm wondering why it makes such a difference to you." The dark man replied. "Why do you care what happens to this world? Why do you care for these people? We don't live here, and what happens here doesn't concern us. So why bother putting in the effort to help them?"

"…Luffy-san and the others didn't abandon me when I needed them, no way am I abandoning them now." He growled. "Now tell me what the hell I have to do to save my nakama!"

"Nakama?" Gin laughed. "That's hysterical! You actually have grown attached to these people! What? a little acception from a brain-dead Strawhat captain got you dazed?"

"You heard me." Conan's growl made Gin stop. "Either tell me how to save them, or I'm throwing myself to my death. We're high up, and I won't survive the fall with state I'm in."

"Hmph. Whatever! There's obviously a way to deactivate the bomb; I didn't do anything fancy this time, all you have to do is find the switch, and push the red button; then the bomb will be deactivated, and they'll learn how to move on their own." Gin smirked.

"So all I have to do is find the device." Conan sighed. "Just like before; how long do I have?"

"Oh that's the best part!" Gin suddenly got in front of Conan's face. "You and them only have exactly one hour to live; you can spend that time looking for the device, or figuring out a way home."

"One an hour…?" Conan felt his throat dry up.

"Oh! And here's the catch!" Conan felt himself get kicked back a few feet, he cringed and coughed up a little blood. "Since you're so attached to this world, I'll give you a choice! If you choose to find your way back, I won't interfere; hell, I'll even help you. A way back for you, is a way back for me, after all. But if you choose to try and find the device, I'll kill you."

"You bastard! You're panicking because you don't have a way back, and you know I've discovered it." Conan glared. "So in essence…it's either me or them, isn't it?"

"Exactly!" Gin clapped his hands together. "What's it gonna be detective-boy, do or die?"

**Sengoku and Whitebeard**

Even in his giant Buddha form, Sengoku felt himself getting totaled. With a mighty golden fist, he blocked another one of Whitebeard's earthquakes. He was getting tiered, he wasn't used to staying in his golden Buddha form for so long, but he also knew Whitbeard wasn't used to using so much of his devil fruit at the same time as well. So how was Whitebeard still able to go on so strongly?

"Sengoku." Whitebeard got his attention. "Look around you, you're the only one whose left standing as far as the marines go."

"So long as I am Fleet Admiral, justice will never bow out to will of free chaos!" Sengoku threw back his arm and threw it down at Whitebeard, preparing to do another shockwave.

STOP! Whitebeard met the fist with his own, cracking the air. Sengoku was shocked, Whitebeard had not only stopped his attacks, but he also found himself unable to move. Before he knew it, Whitebeard grabbed one of Sengoku's fingers, and threw him to the ground.

Gathering a small surge of white energy in his fist, Whitebeard delivered a critical blow to the back of Sengoku's head. Whitebeard didn't let up his attack until he saw blood coming from under Sengoku's face; his face didn't change while Sengoku slowly morphed back into his normal self. After he was back to normal, Whitebeard kicked him back a few feet, to put distance between himself and the Fleet Admiral. Whitebeard observed the man struggle to pick himself up, and sighed. "Sengoku…look around you…look at your men."

Sengoku glared, but did as he was asked. He looked at his men, including his fellow admiral; what he found shocked him. All of them were looking at him with pity; none of his men were fighting the pirates any more, they were all watching him and Whitebeard clash, watching him scrap like an animal. His men were even standing beside some pirates; why were they doing this? "What…what are you people doing? They're pirates! Destroy them!"

"Enough sir…" Aokiji stepped forward. "Enough is enough…this is a complete and utter defeat for the World Government, but that doesn't mean this has to be a defeat for us."

"What are you talking about?" Sengoku gritted his teeth. "A loss to the World Government is a loss for us! Do you have any idea how intimate and loyal the ties between the Navy and World Government are?"

"Apparently not close enough." Kizaru spoke up. "I hate fighting in pointless fights sir…too annoying. It's obvious that the Black Organization screwed the government over, and was hoping to use this war to drive them out. I'd say the little detective's taking care of that, so…the fight's really not needed."

"No…there's still hope! It'll still work!" Sengoku gritted his teeth. "This was our chance! To destroy the idea of chaotic freedom, to clear the way for all kinds of justice!"

"Enough Sengoku." To everyone's shock, it was Garp who spoke up. "As far as our roles here are concerned, it's done; we tried and failed to utilize this alliance with the Black Organization to crush the pirates. It's over my friend, let's not continue this any further."

"Garp…how can you say that?" Sengoku suddenly stood up, glaring fully at the Vice Admiral. "If it hadn't been for you, this plan would've gone off unhinged. But instead of staying loyal to 'Absolute Justice', you simply had Tsuru manipulate the situation to where you could save Fire Fist and Strawhat. That's right…this is your fault, Garp."

"Gramps…is that true?" Ace asked, astonished. He knew Garp had something planned when he was put in the same prison area as Conan, but he didn't think his grandfather was capable of planning ahead like that.

"Ah. It's true." He sighed when noted the unconscious forms of Tsuru and VegaPunk, each were being attended to by marine medics. "In truth, I honestly didn't care one way or another if the Black Organization would've been helpful to bring down the pirates or revolutionaries or not. Frankly, I think it's shameful you felt that we had to resort to asking for outside help; it's underhanded to use something that your enemy would have no knowledge of fighting back. That's not the way of the Navy Sengoku, you know that."

"Get to your point." Sengoku gritted.

"Ah. When I saw the detective boy for the first time, everything fell into place; I knew I had to move forward with my plan to not only save Ace, but Luffy, as well as Dragon. I knew that if I got the World Government and everyone else to focus on Kudo, then it would give the Navy and World Government something else to worry about. A greater threat; once the boy died, I knew everyone's thirst for war would quenched, and everyone's fears would be at ease. My grandsons would go back to their crews, Dragon would go back to leading his army, and the Navy would go about our business. Life as we knew it was about to change, and I knew no one would be thinking clearly. So I took it as my opportunity to try and set change myself." Garp sighed.

"So you planned on sacrificing the detective boy the whole time." Whitebeard said neutrally.

"Gramps…" Ace was astonished, he had no idea the detective had been fighting so much hardship.

"Heh…no wonder he couldn't be honest with me at the beginning." Whitebeard smirked. "He knew that I'd never believe him, and he probably didn't know just how bad his situation truly was. With so many unknown factors, he probably was afraid of misleading us, as well as causing misunderstandings. That detective boy is weak…he has no combat skills and he uses people to get ahead, but…he's literally a human nail; you can hammer him down all you want, but he'll always manage to find a way to get loose."

**In Clock Tower**

"So how about it detective…do or die?" Gin asked again.

Conan was looking to the ground at this point, his hands in his pockets, and his glasses gleamed in the light. "You know…I was asked the very same question by Tsuru-san at the beginning of this journey; I told her I'd do whatever it takes to survive; I was prepared to sacrifice anything and anyone around me to get home. I didn't care what I had to do. Even if I had committed a crime, my record wouldn't be tarnished due to the different laws in this world, not to mention, it's not like our world and this one were in any danger of colliding." Conan felt himself smirk and looked up at Gin. "But after going through everything I did, meeting Luffy-san and his crew, Ace-san, Whitebeard-san, Garp-san, Dragon-san; they all have reasons and purposes to fight. And so do I…" Conan pulled a coin out of his pocket and started flipping it with his thumb, causing Gin to frown. "I plan on going home Gin-san, and I'll be sure to take you with me dead or alive."

"Excellent!" Gin clapped his hands together, putting his gun away. "Now then…if you'd be so kind as to explain how we'll get home-"

"I wasn't finished speaking." Conan interrupted him loudly. "I plan on sending us both home, but I sure as hell am making sure no one ever comes back here."

Gin frowned. "It's not like you can actually convince that you've figured out how to disrupt the light frequency vortex; that's just preposterous. I don't care what resources Sentomaru gave you, there's no way you have the technological or computational resources to pull off such a feat."

"I still wasn't finished speaking." Conan ignored Gin's statement. "I also find myself a slightly changed man, Gin-san." Conan smirked and aimed the coin at him. "I have become a man who finds the idea of leaving comrades behind despicable; so if I had the choice. I'm definitely going to say death for the both of us."

Conan flipped the coin right at Gin. BANG! Gin's eyes widened in panic as the smoke from the bomb clouded his eyes. The silver-haired man froze when he felt a small impression hit the pocket where he put his gun; realization dawned upon him when he felt an electrical surge attack him, but it was too late.

BANG! POP! SHOT!

A series of loud gunshots rang throughout the tower, and Gin slowly felt his left leg and foot get brutally mutilated by grazing bullets. The sparks from the gun had long started showing throw his jacket, after about a minute, the shots finally stopped and the gunpowder cleared. Gin was frozen on the spot, and slowly looked down at his injured limb to survey the damage; he had managed to position the gun to where no fatal injuries could be dealt, but graze marks trailed all the way down his left leg; blood was seeping through his pant leg, and the lower-left half of his tench coat was left in tatters. He slowly turned his shocked gaze to the detective, who wore a confident smirk. "You…"

"Like it?" Conan asked cheekily. "One of the things Sentomaru-san added to my belt were various types of trap-doubloons. Some are smoke bombs, others are normal explosives, and the others protrude small or large quantities of electricity. That's one of the things I love about semi-automated weapons, while the basic controls are mechanic, there's enough of an automation system that if enough electricity is applied, it'll go off automatically. Pretty cool, huh?"

"You…" Gin reached into his other pocket, and pulled out something that made Conan's eyes widen a bit. It was a .600 Nitro Express Zeliska Revolver, the world's largest and most powerful handgun (at least in his world); it was capable of shooting through concrete, and was considered one of the world's most valuable weapons as well. "We have a whole hour to play with each other, let's make it the best time of our lives." He aimed, pulled the trigger, and BANG!

Conan somersaulted out of the way and started running through the various gears. One advantage he had over the older man was being distinctly smaller; which helped him tremendously in this case. Conan clutched his chest in pain a little, but forced himself to ignore it; hr forced himself to hold his breath as Gin limped by. This made the detective feel slightly relieved, at least he did some damage on the man. Conan gritted his teeth, trying desperately to think of where the bomb device might've been hidden.

"DAMN IT!" Conan jumped slightly when Gin shot at the ceiling randomly. The detective winced when he looked up at the ceiling, which strangely consisted of mirrors. The detective's eyes widened at the luck, and immediately started scanning the images; he frowned when he found nothing. Was the bomb on a different floor? No. That couldn't have been it; Gin wanted them to stay close to the top on the off-chance Luffy and the others would recover faster than expected, but that's when the detective realized something. In the part of the clock tower they were in, Gin was literally too large to fit into most of the crevices, whereas he could easily fit into the tiny spaces; in a rush of realization, Conan knew where to fin the deactivation device.

**Whitebeard and Sengoku**

"Tougher than a nail?" Sengoku repeated indigently. "What are you talking about? He's just an intellectual that happens to be resourceful, nothing more."

"He's also an intellectual that survive Blackbeard and his crew; he also protected Franky-kun and Sentomaru-kun as best as he could, by selling himself at first." Shanks spoke up. "Really…I don't think anyone could honestly call him weak."

"Red-Haired." Garp nodded his head in acknowledgement reluctantly.

"So then…how about he stop all this nonsense?" The pirate asked politely.

"You're in no position to give requests, Red-Haired." Segnoku growled.

"Maybe…but have you looked at the state of your men?" Shanks pointed out. "This war is over…and the only one who hasn't it realized that by now is you, Sengoku-san."

The fleet admiral glared harshly, but Mihawk spoke up. "An honorable warrior would bow his head in defeat when the situation deemed appropriate. He would also acknowledge the work and effort their opponent went through to get as far as they did; you have done none of those things Fleet Admiral."

"Mihawk, you…" Sengoku clenched his teeth. "You and Red-Haired planned a counter-revolution with Rayleigh, didn't you?"

"It was a pretty easy pattern to pick up upon." Rayleigh spoke. "We saw what the Navy and Revolutionaries were doing, so we put two and two together, and decided that…we'd rather not lose our home and way of life to a bunch of money-grubbing bastards like the Black Organization."

"Those people are no different than the World Government, other than their heavy artillery of course." Aokiji sighed.

"Indeed." Garp sighed and looked at the pirates, especially Ace and Whitebeard. "I'm sorry. I tried to convince myself that by sacrificing that detective I'd be righting a wrong, as well as saving my son and grandsons. I had no idea the fear and pain that boy would suffer here, he's a true marine for sticking it out."

"No…" Ace smirked. "He's a pirate."

"Hmm…maybe you're right. Only a pirate can stomach the Grand Line alone like he has. Can't seem to get lucky with that! HAHAHA!" Garp laughed at the irony.

Whitebeard relaxed at the scene, but it was soon ruined. "LOOK UP THERE!" Nami yelled.

Everyone turned to look up where she pointed too, and everyone's eyes bugged out; they actually wondered if they were seeing things correctly. In a rush, they all gathered at the clock tower's base and looked up at the face of clock. Mihawk's words confirmed everyone's question. "Yes…the detective boy is indeed balancing himself on the long handle of the clock. And from this point…he only has about 45min. left."

"WHAT?" Ace exclaimed.

Meanwhile, noticing everyone was distracted, Sengoku charged forward, and morphed his arm into a golden fist again. "SHOCKWAVE!"

"SENGOKU! NO!" Garp yelled.

"SIR!" Aokiji was about to charge forward, but he was beaten to the punch.

Whitebeard grabbed Sengoku's arm, stopping the attack and thrusted him into the air. CRUNCH! In a sickening, final blow, Whitebeard used a final punch against Sengoku's diaphragm, causing the man to cough up blood. The Fleet Admiral was sent flying a few feet away Whitebeard sighed and lowered his fist. "Now it's over, Sengoku."

Sengoku couldn't move, he could barely breathe. "I…just wanted to insure that justice would be the future. I wanted everything to be okay."

"It will be, old friend." Garp walked up to his side and sat down beside him. "Our roles in this war is done, so let's sit and watch what happens together."

"Garp…thank you." Sengoku then passed out, finally submitting defeat.

**Back with Conan**

While he knew how to use the clock tower, he wasn't going to abandon Luffy and the others. He promised himself, he wouldn't abandon anyone in this world; Dragon was right about one thing, this wasn't going to stop unless if he put an end to it. He might not have had the courage to do it in his world, but he gained it in this world. Slowly making his way to the center that was face's nose, he saw the deactivation device glitter devilishly, almost mocking him. Conan gulped, and forced himself not to look down; while the long clock handle was wide and supported his weight; knowing that Kaito Kid wasn't there to catch him if he fell, was a bit unnerving. After what seemed like forever, he finally reached the connecting center and clutched it for dear life; he normally wasn't this antsy with heights and balance, but with the pain in his chest, he wasn't taking any chances.

Taking a few deep breaths, he leaned over to look at the device, and sighed. He and the others still had 45min; soon it would just be him on a time limit. BANG! Fear shot through Conan when a loud gunshot occurred; he slowly looked over his shoulder and saw Gin, standing from an observatory window. The boy felt slight relief, knowing that the man wasn't going to risk coming up here with his limp leg, but with the Zeliska, that wasn't really needed. "Clever kid…real clever…how'd you know where the device was?" Conan stared at Gin, as if he was truly looking at the man for the first time. Unlike the normally calm and collected member he was so used to fearing, this was angry and crazed, almost like a wild animal. "ANSWER ME!" He shot another bullet, barely missing the nose of the clocktower's face.

"…I knew you wouldn't risk going any floors lower than the face itself, and when I was hiding I realized that you couldn't have hid it anywhere you felt confident, because the large spaces that were big enough for you were too obvious, and you didn't want to leave it in a small crevice space where I'd have easy access to it. At the time, I hadn't ruined your leg, so you easily were able to hide the device in such a precarious location. The answer was right in front of me face." Conan explained.

"Interesting…well go on…deactivate it." Gin replied. When Conan didn't move, he yelled. "DEACTIVATE IT!"

"Not until you tell me what'll happen to them if it does!" Conan exclaimed.

"Are you crazy?" Gin yelled. "I don't give a damn about them! I want my final showdown with you, and I won't be interrupted! Now deactivate the bomb so we can finish this! You won the battle for their lives, Kudo, but this next round takes the war!" He seethed. "NOW DO IT!"

Conan clenched his fists, and did as he was asked; after flipping the switch, the read light turned to green, and he prayed that meant the sub was still afloat. "There…happy?"

"Yes…I am happy, actually…want to know why?" Gin smirked and got out a syringe and a vial with some unknown substance in it. "The steroids in this universe are great; they numb all the pain, and even increase your physical strength. I wasn't going to use one on you…however…it's been brought to this." He grinned sickly as he stabbed his limp leg with the syringe; he threw his arms in the air to illustrate the rush of what he felt.

Conan stared wide-eyed at his enemy; that explained his erratic behavior; he must've been taking those steriods just in case he had to battle it out with any of the people here. But then it dawned upon Conan. "Gin-san…you've been here as long as me, haven't you? This is your final hour, as well as mine."

"Eh. We can send living beings here, but we can't get them back is he problem; you and I were the first ones to try it after all. And when I heard about the deterioration we were facing, I felt relieved; we were going to die in battle like this. Isn't it wonderful?" He asked.

"Gin-san…?" Conan knew he was losing it. "May I have this chance to say goodbye then…will you grant me that mercy?"

"Sure! They're all waiting for you down there!" Gin indicated that pirate and Navy population below.

Conan stared down at them mournfully, and put on a depressed smile; he knew this would be the last time he'd ever see them again. He felt deep regret for not being able to say goodbye to everyone. Adjusting the mic in his tie, he spoke. "EVERYONE! I KNOW YOU'RE ALL AWARE OF WHAT'S GOING ON BY NOW, AND I KNOW YOU'RE ALL AWARE OF JUST WHAT I WAS BEING USED FOR. I WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU TO EVERYONE HERE; THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME, PUTTING UP WITH ME, AND MOST OF ALL…TRUSTING ME. I LOST THE ABILITY TO TRUST MYSELF A LONG TIME AGO, THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THAT BACK IN ME." His smile turned into a frown. "I WILL MOST LIKELY NEVER SEE ANY OF YOU AFTER THIS BATTLE, SO I WANTED TO SAY GOODBYE TO ALL OF YOU AND THANK YOU. BUT THERE'S ONE LAST THING I NEED HELP WITH. THIS MAN FROM THE BLACK ORGANIZATION, TRICKED LUFFY-SAN, THE HEART PIRATES, AND THE RED-HAIRED PIRATES INTO PLACING THEMSELVES IN DANGER. THEY'RE PARALYZED ABOARD LAW'S SUB AND CAN'T MOVE, THEY'RE IN STANDING WATER! THEY'RE DOWN BELOW IN THE LOWEST LEVEL OF THE CLCOKTOWER, THERE'S AN UNDERWATER PASSAGE THAT LAW USED TO GET THE SUB THERE. PLEASE…SAVE THEM! THAT'S MY LAST REQUEST TO YOU ALL, SAVE THEM!"

The crowd was speechless at the detective's words. After a few moments of silence, Zoro banged his word against the ground to get, his crewmates' attention. They turned to him, to see at Ace at his side as well. "You heard him, let's go."

With a heavy heart and tears, the Strawhat crew knew that disobeying Conan's words weren't an option. As much as they hated being able to say goodbye to Conan, they couldn't live with themselves if they had to say goodbye to Luffy.

**Review Please! As I said, probably two more chapters in this fic after this and it's done. It's not that I'm running out of steam anymore so much as, this's fic's story is about at it's end. So about the chapter, I actually looked this up: the Zeliska is a real gun, and is considered the most powerful handgun in the world, look it up if you don't believe me. I originally was going to have Gin and Conan do a knife fight, but when I saw the Zeliska's picture I thought: 'YES'! So anyways, I also want to take this time to announce that a new fic will be coming out: GintamaxOnePiece crossover! I will start publishing it after this fic is done! So for any comments, questions, or concerns, review it or PM me!**


	46. Tourniquet

**Hey guys! Thanks so much for the anticipation, I'm glad everyone's looking forward to these last chapters! So it's officially been wrote by yours truly, that the last chapter will be after this one. I apologize if it's a bit sudden, but I promise, it's paced out well, and I thought that after a climatic moment like this chapter and last chapter, the ending had heard its cue deep with in my subconscious. Causing me to write it. I'm currently editing the last chapter, so please come back next week for it. In other news, after this fic is over, I will be starting a new crossover, featuring the animes Gintama and One Piece. It will have nothing to do with this fic, and will be more funnier, a lot more fight scenes, and more romance. It will also be set in the New World after the time skip; haven't decided if I'm going to leave Ace and/or Whitebeard dead yet. **

**So about this chapter, pretty much everything about this world concludes, and Conan and Gin's fate are decided. Please forgive me if the ending seemed a little corny or confusing; I couldn't think of a good way to do it. So please, read, enjoy, and review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed  
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Luffy gritted his teeth, feeling frustrated and helpless at the same time; he couldn't believe he let his guard down so badly like that, and now Conan was in huge trouble. He had to save his nakama; it didn't matter if Conan wasn't from this world, it didn't matter if he would never see Conan again, because how Conan helped him and his crew was beyond words. He reunited them, lead everyone against a dangerous plot lead by the marines and this Black Organization bastard; he saved Ace, acquired the help of a Navy Admiral, and even got Rob Lucci to help. He would've been an incredible asset to his crew if he had stayed in this world, but at the same time, he knew Conan wouldn't be happy on his crew. He wanted to be solving mysteries and follow the law for whatever reason; maybe in his world, the law wasn't as bad as what the World Government made it in this one.

"Looks like the bomb has been deactivated." Commented Law, snapping Luffy out of his thoughts. Luffy looked at the stupid canister, and saw that the red blinking light was indeed switched off. "Strawhat…you really think of him as your crewmate?"

"I'm tiered everyone asking me that question." Luffy growled. "Conan helped me and my crew, he saved Ace and stopped a huge war occurring at Marineford. How could I not consider him my crewmate?"

"Even though he's kind of the cause of this whole Black Organization thing?" Law pointed out. "Also…you do know that the Navy wanted him to find One Piece, right?"

"Yeah…Conan told me all about it." The medical doctor looked at the other captain, shocked. "He told me what those bastards did to his neck, what they said about Ace and Roger, and why they wanted him to find One Piece. Conan refused to believe anything they said about Ace and Roger, and more than anything, he'll never tell anyone where One Piece is. In this world or his."

"How do you know?" He asked.

"Because Conan didn't ask me if I wanted to know where One Piece is, he didn't need to be told to keep it a secret; he knew how much finding the next pirate king meant to Roger, so that's why he won't say anything. He also knew Ace and Roger were good people." Luffy explained.

"Do you think he'd do the same for us if we were in his world?" Law questioned.

"Definitely." Luffy nodded. "Conan may follow the law, but he lives by his principles."

"Pretty speech, Strawhat; doesn't help our situation though." Law sighed. "We're safe because of whatever he did, but we can't move until this crap wears off."

"Perhaps I can be of assistance." Everyone's eyes and ears snapped at the new voice. Everyone turned to stare at a tall, cloaked figure who approached them with slight caution. "Where is the detective boy and the Black Organization member?" He shot the two revolutionaries on the sub a look that clearly ordered him to keep quiet.

"You're late in the game, aren't yah?" Benn frowned. All of the Red-Haired crew looked at the man in disapproval, it was obvious none of them liked him in particular. They especially tensed when his eyes fell on Luffy. "You just gonna stand there?"

"…Tell me what happened." The mysterious man requested.

"That Black Organization bastard hit us with some weird gas and kidnapped Conan!" Luffy spoke up. "Who…are you?" Luffy frowned, trying to place him, he knew he had seen the man before, but where?

"I see…a paralytic gas." The man deduced from their forms, he directed his attention to Luffy again. "If you had the option, would you try to save him? Do you want to say goodbye to him?"

"Oi! What are you planning?" Yassop tried to intervene, he especially despised this man.

"OF COURSE I WOULD!" Luffy exclaimed. "If you have a way of taking me to him, then do it!"

"Wait! Luffy!" Hancock spoke up; furious she couldn't protect her love from this man. "Who are you? State your business here!"

"…I can only take one of you to him. Are you sure you want it to be you?" The man asked. "What if the doctor went?"

"I wouldn't be any use in the state I'm in now; I can't perform surgery if I can't move my hands." Law replied with a frown. "Besides…if he wants to say goodbye to his crewmate, let him."

"…I see; I'll move the rest of you inside the sub in case it starts to sink." The man replied.

"Oi…" Benn spoke up, making sure the man knew the whole Red-Haired crew was watching him. "You hurt him…the Navy will be the least of your worries; our captain doesn't exactly fancy people who abandon their children."

"Huh?" Luffy blinked in confusion, but that's when it hit him. Louge town! He was the one who saved him from Smoker!

"So Red-Haired hasn't forgiven me for that, has he?" The man sighed. "He has every right to be angry…and he's been more of a father than I ever could be…which is why I have to do this. You have my word…that nothing will happen to him."

"One scratch, and the Red-Haired pirates will show you that we aren't just known for our captain's hair." Lucky spoke up.

"Dually noted." The man sighed, and turned to the other people on board, who were listening with mild interest. "I apologize, but this is quickest way to get you all in the sub, and the boy only has 35min left."

Everyone blinked and then- GUST! A strong wind sent each of them inside the sub, individually through the door. After everyone was in, the door snapped shut and locked. Luffy stared in astonishment at what happened, now certain this was the same man. "Who…are you?" Luffy stared at the man with regretful eyes.

"…Dragon…Monkey D. Dragon…I'm your father."

**With Conan and Gin**

BANG! Conan somersaulted forward to avoid the shot and hit the floor covering his head, as Gin kept firing rounds at him from the window. Luckily, he was just low enough to where the bullets missed him. The problem was, he was balancing on the long-hand of the clocktower's face, and he wasn't sure how long he could keep this up. It was continually moving, and each jerk sent him closer to the edge.

"Losing your nerve, detective?" Gin smirked and fired another round.

"Nope." Conan smirked, and pushed a button on his sneakers (the one piece of clothing that had been consistent throughout his stay here). "I'm just getting started." In a sudden burst, Conan jumped up high, and grabbed the number 12 on the face, and pulled himself up.

"Hmph! Very clever." Gin frowned, but smirked when he saw that the handle was low enough for him to board. Without hesitation, he jumped the lower hand, and ran up the arm. Conan glared and looked around himself for any possible escape. "Say your prayers, detective!"

"Sorry, I don't believe in God." Conan answered, and jumped down right as Gin got to him. Ge managed to land on the 9 with some difficulty, but still managed it. He briefly wondered just how the hell Kaito and Lupin did this so easily; Lupin did this without wires! He steadied himself and readied his watch. "But I do believe in the power within!" He shot a bolt of electricity from his watch, but the Zeliska easily deflected it.

"Ah…I hope that act you pulled with my gun isn't the last of your tricks." Gin sneered and jumped down after him. Conan jumped down to the 6, in response, and then back onto the long hand; he noted that with the steroids Gin had taken, the man's pain was essentially numbed. That wasn't good. The detective frowned, looking around himself; he jumped back up slightly to the short hand, and stopped at the nose again. "How disappointing…" Gin smirked as he approached the boy, the Zeliska proudly pointed at him.

Without saying anything, Conan readied his watch and aimed a dart; he shot, but Gin skillfully swerved to the side. "Is that it?" Gin grinned and pulled the trigger- BANG!

**Luffy and Dragon**

It was a very quiet trek. The father and son were dead silent as they made their way up the stairs, Dragon had taken Luffy on his back, and was piggy-backing him up the stairs. This was extremely awkward for the both of them; neither were used to the other's presence, and Luffy had stopped getting these rides when he was about fifteen or so. Also, he didn't know what to say to his dad; normally he'd be completely bouncy and energetic, especially because he had found another family member, but he couldn't help but not be. "Oi…" Luffy broke the silence. "You're my father, right…?"

"…Ah." Dragon answered.

"…I see. So…how've yah been?" Luffy asked.

"…Fine." Dragon answered. "How about you?"

"…I'm on my way to become the Pirate King." Luffy shrugged.

"I see…good to see you pursuing your dream." The older man nodded. "…So quite a predicament we're in huh?"

"You mean with Conan?" Luffy frowned. "He told me what you tried to do. Robin also said you were pretty unreasonable."

Dragon sighed. "I saw an opportunity to strike the World Government, I decided to take my chance. Frankly, I'm surprised the boy wasn't more excited."

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't Conan be content just going home?" Luffy furrowed his brow.

"Because it's obvious this is just going to happen again." Dragon sighed. "The World Government is a corrupt system that's doing nothing but consuming our world, and the Black Organization intends to take over Kudo's world to do the same. Had we collaborated properly, I guarantee the World Government and Black Organization both would've been dealt with."

"And why are you forcing Conan to fix it?" Luffy frowned.

"What?" Dragon paused abruptly.

"Conan's not looking to change the world or save it, he just wants to preserve it. In a way, that makes Conan weak, but it also makes him strong. Ever since he was forced into this world, he's had no one to help him, no one to rely on. Conan's not trying to save our world, he's not trying to change it either, he just wants to get home." The pirate captain explained lightly.

"But how odes that help us or him in the long run?" Dragon pointed out. "It doesn't matter what his ambitions are if they're just going to get foiled in the long-run."

"Urusai." His son's statement cut him off. "What Conan's trying to do isn't for the long-run or whatever, it's for the future! Conan can't fight for anyone's future but his own right now, and he hates that! Do you have any idea how much pain he's in? How scared he is? I know Conan…he'll find a way to save all of us…and there's nothing I can do but let him go as a result."

"How can you be so sure?" Dragoon raised a brow.

"Because he's my nakama!" Luffy smiled.

"That's not a good reason." Dragon sweatdropped.

"I don't give a damn about what you think; I'm sure of it." Luffy frowned. "Now get moving…Conan's going to go home soon."

Walking up the stairs again, Dragon spoke. "You think he'll make it out alive?"

"He's my nakama; I know he will. Conan's found a way to save all of us, including himself, I can tell. I…just have a hard time accepting that I can't help him." Luff glowered. "It's just like when that Kuma guy attacked, I can't protect my crewmates when they need me. Why?"

Dragon could only listen to his son's words, not sure how to react. Before, he had convinced himself that Luffy was old enough and strong enough to take care of himself, and that he didn't need him anymore. But now…looking at him…Dragon realized that every once in awhile, fatherly advice was needed. "…I can't offer any sympathies to the detective, but I can give you some advice." Luffy was silent, indicating he was listening. "Get stronger. As you and your crew are now, you won't last a minute in the New World; Bartholomew Kuma proved that much. Before you even think of entering the New World, you and your crew need to get better, faster, and stronger in your skill."

"But I have to find One Piece!" Luffy portesteed.

"Will One Piece be worth it without your crew?" Dragon snapped, making Luffy pause. "The pirate king has to be strong enough to take on anything in this cruel world; you and your crew aren't there yet. That's the basic truth, whether you want to admit it or not. Besides…One Piece won't go anywhere…I guarantee no one will have found it by then."

"What the hell makes you think you can order me around?" Luffy growled. "What the hell do you know about me? What the hell do you know about my crew? What makes you think that after seventeen years, you have right to just waltz into my life and order me around?" At this point Luffy was breathing hard, and he hadn't noticed Dragon stop moving. Hidden tears rolled down his face. "Why…didn't ever see me? What happened to my mother?"

Tightening his hold on his son, Dragon walked forward, finally reaching their destination-level. "I'm not ready to say anything about your mother, and I have no excuse for abandoning you, but I'm saying this to you not as a Revolutionary…but as father who doesn't want to see his son die. Please…get stronger, I…can't afford to lose you too."

"…For the sake of my crew, I will…we all will..." Luffy noticed he could move his hands again, and tightened his grip around his father's neck. "We owe at least that much to Conan."

Smiling, Dragon sighed. "I don't really like it but…if you have faith in the detective, then I have no choice but to believe in him either."

"Yoshi! Let' go give Conan his proper farewell!" Luffy's contagious grin soon spread to his father.

**Conan and Gin**

The wind blew against the detective, as he stared neutrally at his opponent. Gin stared at him wide-eyed, as if he couldn't believe what happened; in retrospect, he really couldn't. Looking down at his own body, his eyes widened and he could feel bile coming up in his throat. He was so caught up in what he was looking at, that he didn't notice Conan walk towards him slowly, and grab the Zeliska from the surface they were standing on.

Conan wiped the blood off the magnificent handgun carefully, and checked the barrel; two more rounds left; perfect. Making the last of his plans, he looked at Gin. "You seem shocked; I thought those steroids made you immune to pain."

"Uaaha…." Gin didn't answer, he was too busy staring the bloody stub at the end of his arm where his right hand used to be. "How did you…?"

"Those steroids mess with your head Gin-san, I would've expected better from you." Conan said indifferently. "The Zeliska is indeed the most powerful handgun, but it has one fatal flaw in it's design. The ammunition chamber is wide open despite that fact that it's an automatic; when I shot that dart at you, it wasn't to get you, it was disrupt the chamber and cause to fire back at you. At close range, the bullet most likely went all the way through your arm and out you'd shoulder; it's actually amazing to me you can still stand. I guess Decken-san really hooked you up." His glasses gleamed, referring to the steroids

"Shut up." Gin fell to his knees.

Conan didn't let his guard down and aimed the gun at the Black Organization member's head. "You have no idea how badly I want to shoot you."

**Everyone Below**

Aokiji frowned deeply at this. "Kid no…"

"Ah. I agree with you." Aokiji jumped when he heard someone beside him. To his surprise, it was Nico Robin. "He's not a killer."

"Why aren't you with your crew?" Aokiji asked.

"I told them I had business to discuss with you since we're at a temporary truce." She explained. "Besides…I believe Dragon-san is helping Captain-san, so there's no need to worry at this point.

"I see…" Aokiji sighed.

"Aokiji-san." She spoke in a neutral voice. "I won't forget or forgive what happened in my childhood, however…if you wish to gain my mother's forgiveness, start by changing the world for the better from the Navy's side."

"How did you-" Aokiji asked.

"Looking back on it, there was no other reason for you to be at Ohara. There was more than enough manpower, and Cipher Pole 9 was present, another Vice Admiral would've been plain excessive. I find this all very difficult to accept, and I frankly have no intention of telling anyone about this, including my crewmates. So I just have one question…did you love her…? My mother…?" Robin looked him in the eye.

Aokiji sighed, he couldn't lie at this point. "When I find the source, I'll kill them. But yes…I did love her…I loved her more than anything. I still love her."

Robin pursed her lips. "Then what happened…?"

"I honestly didn't know myself at first…we had the usual night to ourselves, but when I woke up that morning she was gone. She didn't leave a note or anything. At first I thought she was taken back to the Auction House, but when that wasn't the case I started searching all over. You see…the reason why I'm so lazy now is because…I used all my work ethic to win over your mother, but also to search for her. I used every ounce of effort and strength left in my body. After your mother died…nothing was worth effort anymore." Aokiji sighed. "I should've seen the resemblance between you and me, I'm sorry."

"Change this world for the better from the Navy's side." Robin repeated. "Follow my mother's request, and we can both be at peace."

At this, Aokiji nodded. "Sounds good."

"Also." Robin spoke. "I don't know where my mother was buried…could we put flowers on her grave sometime?"

"…Yeah…she'd like that." For once in years, he could feel Olivia's radiant smile again. And for the first time ever, he saw revived on Robin.

**Conan and Gin**

Gin and Conan stared at each other in the eyes, in a staring deadlock. "Go ahead detective…it's what you've always wanted, right? You kill me here, no one's gonna charge yah with murder, or whatever crap we have in our world. Not like it matters…you'll die soon after."

Conan didn't say anything, nor did he lower the gun. "You're right, I could easily get away with this. If I kill you, then the Black Organization falls apart, and I can finally tell Rachel and everyone the truth about myself." He readied the trigger, Gin smirked and closed his eyes. "But that's never been my style." Conan suddenly pointed upwards towards the balcony, Gin had been on before and- BANG! With such a powerful bullet and old structure, it easily collapsed. And then, turning the gun on the clock-nose, he made his last and final shot. BANG!

Gin quickly jumped to the number 5, before the hands collapsed to the 12 and 6, making it 6pm. He looked around for the detective, but found nothing. "Damn it…" Gin coughed up more blood. "How much time do we have left?"

"Zero." His eyes widened, as he turned to see Conan staring down at him, standing on the very edge of the long handle of the clock tower face. "Our time is up in this world, let's live out our lives in ours, shall we?" Conan then snapped his fingers.

Gin stared in shock, the Clocktower's face began to glow and electricity poured from the handles and glass to the face and hands. "GAAH!" Gin felt the overwhelming shock-waves consume his body, and he could tell it was getting to the detective too. But as soon as he glanced up, he saw that Conan was falling free style towards him, and BAM! Conan got Gin in the scoop of the 5, and began choking him, while they were being electrocuted. From the Black Organization member's point, he could tell Conan had coughed up even more blood, and was in even more pain than himself. "Are you crazy?"

"You're right Gin-san! We'll go out of this world! But we're leaving this world together!" Conan smirked, and increased his hold, despite the pain in his chest.

"CONAN!" Conan spared a glance up at the destroyed balcony, and smiled in relief when he saw Luffy and Dragon staring at him in worry.

"Luffy-san…"

"CONAN-KUN!" Conan looked down at the lower level and saw his crew and brother.

"Guys…" Conan then stared off into the pirate world once last time. Making sure to capture everyone's face and expression in his memory. "Everyone…thank you." Feeling the glass of the clock tower becoming softer, he leaned his and Gin's body towards the glass and didn't say anything as he felt something pull him in. He felt himself deteriorating, and knew it was unlikely that either he or Gin would make it. But it was fine, he saved the pirates and everyone, and with this setup he followed, he knew no one would invade his world or there's again. "I'm sorry…Luffy-san…"

"CONAN!" The boy blinked when he heard Luffy's voice. He couldn't see anything at this point really, everything was too bright; he didn't know where he was. "I know you can hear me so listen! I know we won't see you again, but we promise you! We'll get stronger! We'll make our dreams come true! So you better make sure yours do too! Promise us you'll become your world's greatest detective! That's the only goodbye I'm accepting!"

"Luffy-san…" Conan smiled contently, as he noticed his body breaking down into matter, he had lost track of Gin awhile ago. He decided that if he had died saving good people, then he was fine with it. Whatever hell may bring, let it come. "I promise. Goodbye everyone."

**Review Please! Remember, the last chapter is coming out next week, so if anyone wants me to warp up any certain points or lingering questions, speak your mind now! I apologize if anyone seemed a bit out of character; I originally wasn't going to have Dragon and Luffy meet, but I decided it would work, but I really have no idea what Luffy would say to Dragon, so I just winged it. If Conan seemed out of character with Gin, I'm sorry as well, it was for the sake of the last dramatic chapter! If you don't like the ending, I hope you can live with it! So review or PM me if you have any questions about this fic, or my upcoming GintamaxOne Piece fic.**


	47. Never Gonna Take me Alive

**Hey guys! So here it is the final chapter of 'Case Closed: Mystery of One Piece'. Thank you so much for all the reviews, support, and admiration that encouraged me to keep posting this story. As I said before, this chapter really does explain everything, and some of you may not like it, but I've had my heart set on this ending for awhile, and I thought it would fit. Once again, thank you all so much. I hope you guys give this chapter as much love and attention as I did, please review this chapter in honor of this fic; I'd be so happy. So please read, enjoy, and review!  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Case Closed  
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The scent of seawater and sand filled his senses, he briefly felt a sea breeze fiddle his hair. Struggling to open his eyes, Conan struggled to sit up, but found it extremely difficult. His abdomen hurt like hell, his legs felt like jelly, and his arms felt like that had been through a pressure cooker. The boy looked down at himself, and noted that he was bandaged all over his body, with his arms, legs, and hands. He looked down at himself and noted that his abdomen was bandaged, and his clothes were different too. That was was when panic struck him. He threw the sheet off himself, and tried to force himself to get up, but soon fell forward again. He saw that he had been laid out on a futon, and a light blanket had been covering his form; he was dressed in a pink, floral Hawaiian t-shirt and burmuta shorts. His shirt was open and was bandaged on his stomach, the slight stiffness in his neck made him touch it, and he realized that he was bandaged up there as well. He looked around his surroundings, and saw that he was in a small, basic shack with some bamboo furniture, a sink, and a small bathroom in the far corner. It was a basic, one-room shack with all the necessities. Getting up warily, Conan looked around for an an exit or any indication of where he might've been.

"Where…?" Conan shielded his eyes a bit and went outside; the sun gleamed brightly down at him. There was a small front porch out in front, and the sun actually felt quite nice on his skin; it was clear blue sky, with sea gulls harping and the waves crashing. Okay…he was on a beach…was he near Osaka? Was this property owned by the Hattori family?

"Ah. You're awake." Conan jumped slightly at the voice, and turned to his left; he kicked himself for not noticing the other person there. It was a man who Conan didn't recognize; though he looked a lot like that British bastard, Saguru, who hit on Rachel. Really, just because the guy was British didn't mean he was more qualified to be Holmes' successor. But this guy didn't seem to be that bad; his hair was blonde hair at average length, pale skin, and a fair complexion; he was average built with good muscle-tone and and had black eyes; he looked to be about 20. Bit what threw Conan most off about his appearance was his outfit; even though he just woke up, he could easily feel the intense heat of the island. He was wearing a blue top hat with steampunk-style goggles, a casual blue penguin tuxedo and dark tennis shoes; the man's grin showed he had white teeth, but a missing tooth. But what caught Conan's utmost attention was the pirate musket in his holster; pirate…it all came back to Conan like a freight train! What had happened to everyone? Where was he? Was he back in his world, or still in that pirate universe? "Calm down…" The man held a bottle out to him. "It's water, don't worry." He took a sip himself to show Conan. "See?"

Accepting it hesitantly, Conan gulped down several sips, but almost guzzled down the whole bottle; God he was thirsty! "OI!" The older boy quickly took the water bottle. "Don't gulp it all down at once, you'll-"

THUNK! Conan fell forward, groaning. "My head…"

"Get lightheaded…." The older sighed. "Geez…for a world famous detective, I was expecting you to know better."

"You know me…?" Conan groaned.

"Ah. Who doesn't know of the great Jimmy Kudo? The world famous detective of Tokyo!" The older smiled.

"Where am I…?" Conan struggled.

"You're on the beautiful island of Amami Oshima, we're on the Ryuku Archipelgo! I phoned your guardians, and informed them where they oculd pick you up; they should be here in a few hours." The older explained pleasantly.

"How'd you get that information?" Conan growled.

"You're kidding right? You've been broadcasted all over the news for two weeks. Your parents and guardians advertised all their contact information and everything; even on this island, I get basic cable. There's a whole newscrew coming probably." He explained.

"Two weeks?" That's how long he had been gone from his world? There may have only been a two week difference, but it felt like he was trapped in that other universe for a month! "How did I get here? When'd you find me?"

"Calm down. I found you yesterday morning actually; you were dressed in a pirate outfit and floating on four pieces of drift wood." The older explained.

"Pirate outfit…?" That's right…he didn't get a chance to switch clothes after he fought Gin. Conan's eye widened. "Was there someone else with me? And I had a belt; it's very important to me, do you have it?"

At this, the blonde actually frowned. "No, there wasn't anyone with you; you belt's hanging out on the railing over there." He pointed to the shiny device, that was gleaming in the sunlight. "I won't ask…but all that equipment got fryed from the water, so I let it dry out in the sun for yah. Although since it's salt water…no guarantees of it being fixed."

"It's fine…thank you." Agasa could easily fix it. "Ano…I'm sorry sir, I never got your name."

"Ah, I'm sorry." The blue blonde smiled politely. "My name's Sabo, I'm one of the proud inhabitants of this island."

"Ah, Jimmy Kudo of Tokyo, nice to meet you." Conan bowed politely, but then froze in realization…how did this man know his name was Jimmy kudo? He cursed himself for not realizing that this man had said his real name a few minutes earlier! His name should've been Conan Edogawa being published, not his real name. Slowly, Conan stood upright, and got into a defensive position. "Who are you? How do you know my name?"

"Ah. I forgot to mention several things about myself; I love to hunt, go exploring, travel the ocean a lot, love researching old pirates and…I have two brothers…there names are Ace and Luffy." Conan's eyes widened considerably at that. "I believe you've met them."

"So it was real…" Conan dropped to his knees in shock. "All of it was real…" He felt the wound on his neck, grimacing at the lie he'd have to come up with to explain the scar.

"Don't worry, the burn mark isn't as bad as you think." Sabo read his mind. "You did a really good thing…helping Ace and Luffy like you did."

"No…it was more of them helping me…I lied to them until the last part of the fiasco." Conan said, trying to take it all in.

"Fiasco? I'd call it an adventure!" Sabo said. "No one else can say they've helped a world come to peace with itself."

"What?" Conan looked at him.

"You see…after you left…a lot happened." Sabo started. "…Ace and Whitebeard went back to normal with their crew; Ace mastered his deveil fruit completely, and Whitebeard is still going strong with his crew; Marco the Phoenix has been announced as his successor amongst his crew, and is currently shadowing Whitebeard."

"…What about Luffy-san?" Conan asked hesitantly.

"Ah. He and his crew agreed to split up once again after you left; they decided to meet up at Saboady Archipelgo after two years of training; they can now take down a Pacifisa single-handedley; even Nami-san and Ussop-san." Sabo pleasantly explained. "The Revolutionaries regrouped and have decided not to move until the new Fleet Admiral makes the changes to the policy of Absolute Justice official. They're currently negotiating with him now."

"T-Two years?" Conan gasped. "There was only a two-week difference before hand!"

"Ah. You're right." The blonde nodded. "I'm not a huge physics or science expert, so I'll just put into terms I understand. Basically, you did it. You destroyed whatever that passageway was, and the universes became disconnected; when the first person passed through it, they unintentionally linked the universes together, which messed with the timelines a bit. Now, neither of them are disturbed, and that other universe jumped back to where it should've been."

"That's…" Conan stood up, and looked at the older. "Who are you…really?"

"I wasn't lying when I said that my name was Sabo, and that Luffy and Ace are my brothers, but…the Black Organization and VegaPunk were wrong when they said you and Gin-san were the first living specimens to enter through the portal. That was me." Sabo explained with a slight downcast. "My entrance into this world, made it possible for those bastards do what they did, so I'm sorry."

"How'd you enter this world?" Conan was flabbergasted.

"Even I don't know that; it wasn't planned, that's for sure." Sabo sighed. "I guess you've heard what's called reincarnation, I've heard you get another life, but not in a different world. At first I grew up in this world, ignorant to my past life; I remembered nothing about it. But one day, the day you disappeared to be exact, all these memories of this distant world came flooding back to me. I didn't know what to think or who to believe, but when I slept, I saw what was happening to you through the dreams, and in that, I somehow connected to Roger."

"Roger? As in, Gol. D. Roger-san?" The detective clarified.

"Ah. At first, I didn't believe it was him, let alone any of this was actually happening. But then, after that dream I met him…he sent me this." Sabo held up a gold doubloon, that was unmistakably from the pirate universe. "He told me that since the passage was open, he could send me stuff, so when I saw it, I was pretty convinced. He told me about what was going on in that world, and what was happening to you. Whether you realize it or not, Kudo…you set our universe onto a better path. Thank you."

"I…just did what I had to…I wasn't trying to save any world." Conan said simply.

"Maybe…but you got the Revolutionaries and the Navy on semi-neutral terms with each other, to me, that says something." Sabo smiled.

"I guess…" The boy went to sit down beside the blonde. "So what happened to the World Government and the Gorosei?"

"Well…the Gorosei essentially went into hiding, and the World Government is still in power…but the Navy's now a separate entity from it." At this, Conan glanced up at Sabo. "You see…after the new Fleet Admiral took power, he negotiated down with Commander Kong about how it didn't make sense for a bunch of politicians in suits, who have never lifted a finger to do anything for themselves, to command a bunch of good soldiers fighting the name of something they actually believe in. Essentially, you were right, the new Fleet Admiral figured; what they were doing was Absolute Politics, not Absolute Justice."

"Who's the new Fleet Admiral?" Conan asked.

"After all that's happened, Akainu-san stepped down form being an Admiral, because he didn't like how things are run now, saying the spirit of justice is lost. Garp-san took his place, and finally became an admiral, but only because the new Fleet Admiral begged him. Sengoku-san decided that it was best if he step down from Fleet Admiral, and retire; he said that his view of justice was too twisted to see anyway, he finally saw that after his fight with Whitebeard. Kizaru-san didn't care, but stayed in his position. So by process of elimination…" Sabo grinned.

"Aokiji-san." Conan couldn't help but smile at that. "He's a good man, he'll do the world a lot of good."

"With the blackmail you gave him on Donflamingo-san, I don't doutb it." Sabo nodded. "Your approach was subtle, but you did manage to change the world for the better. The Golden Age of the pirates is stronger than ever; many see you as the 'Savior of True Justice'. Since you've been inspiring marines and pirates, alike; Aokiji decided to change the Navy's official policy and philosophy. In honor of your memory."

"Truce Justice?" Conan smiled lightly. "I like it. But…what about the Tenryubito?"

"Oh that's one of the best parts!" Sabo laughed. "As part of one of the negotiations, the World Government settled on abolishing the Tenrybito's position and power; they were found out, so they're use was up. They were massacred a couple days after you left. Aokiji-san and Whitebeard-san, and Shanks-san handled the chaos on their ends well."

"What about the auction houses?" The detective knew that the Shichibukai wasn't going to take his business loss lying down.

"Ah. Due to the fact that there are still corrupt government officials and Naval officers, the illegal slave trading still goes on, but like usual, no one talks about it." The blonde sighed sadly. "No world is perfect, just goes to show."

"Ah…still…I'm glad everyone's okay." Conan smiled in relief. "It's weird…it all feels like a nightmare."

"That's how I felt when I remembered everything, don't worry…it'll pass." Sabo reassured him. "By the way…how did you destroy the passage?"

"After reading the analysis from VegaPunk and the diaries, I concluded that the central physical plane of the light transference was in the specific metal works in the clocktower itself; so I set an electrical trip wire that I shot with Gin-san's gun, which caused us to be electrocuted, but made it possible for two people to travel. The hands had to be on the 12 and 6, because that was not only when the electrons and metals neutralized each other, but that was also when the glass itself, morphed itself down into a liquid from the heat of the portal, caused by it's the heat of the light-particle physics. It was bizarre…I literally felt myself break down into nothing but matter. I made sure that clockface was destroyed since I left." Conan answered.

"To be honest, I only understood the second half of that answer." Sabo sighed. "But your plan worked; the clock tower was destroyed, and the Void Ruins were left alone after that. Other than Nico Robin-san excavating her heart out."

"That's good." Conan nodded.

"She and Aokiji-san have agreed to visit Olivia-san every year on the anniversary of her death; it's the only time their civil with each other, but it's a start." Sabo smiled. "You did a good thing for many people Kudo." The blonde frowned when the detective put on a slightly panicked look.

"Sabo-san…what happened to Gin-san?" Conan remembered the man.

"That, I really don't know." The blonde frowned. "I only found you drifting on those pieces of wood, not him."

"Pieces of wood…?" Repeating hesitantly, Conan checked certain parts of his arms and legs. His eyes widened as he confirmed his suspicions. "Well I'll be damned…it worked."

"What did?" Sabo frowned.

"Sabo-san…I'm not sure if you're aware of this or not, but…the Void King and Queen knew about the passage way, they just weren't technologically advanced enough to access it. But they wrote certain things that could withstand the passage way, things that wouldn't break down no matter what. One of those things was Adam's wood." Conan started. "In the notes, it said I needed the voyage ship Noah to pass because it was the only ship capable of withstanding the current but…I obviously couldn't take the ship with me. So I put a splinter from the ship in each of my arms and legs, and hoped for the best; making it unnecessary for me to take the ship."

"Wow…you really area genius, aren't yah?" Sabo whistled. "But the way you make it sound…they entered here before?"

"No…they found the passage way through the clocktower, but they weren't able to transport living people, and they saw that the wood was one of the only things that could with stand being broken down and being put back together." Conan reasoned. "Really…the only mystery that remains is how you ended up here, Sabo-san…if I may ask…how old were you when you died…how did you die?"

At this, the blonde took a big gulp, of what it looked like to be lemonade. "I died of injuries after being beaten to death by my parents and the townspeople…unlike Ace and Luffy, I'm actually of noble descent, but I hated it. No one cared about me, and I was just something that my parents created for their own benefit. So I ran away, and met Ace at Gray Terminal a couple months later; we hated each other at first, and just saw each other as rivals. But one day…we were both cornered by a bunch of guards from High Town, and we had to work together to escape; pathetic, but…that's how we became friends. Luffy came around about two years later, and eventually, we both warmed up to him." Conan listened patiently as Sabo spoke. "But…one day…we ended up messing with the wrong people, and we were separated by a pirate crew who was hired by that bastard father of mine. To make a long story short, I was brought back to a Revolutionary ship after being found by Dragon, but I died of my injuries after I tried to escape the island on a fishing boat. A Tenryubito shot me to hell."

"I'm sorry…" Conan clenched his fists. "Some people in that world really have no regard for human life."

"It's fine, I ended up here in the end." Sabo replied. "I was only ten when I died."

"And you're 20 now?" Conan clarified.

"Yeah. Why?" Sabo asked.

Conan frowned. "So the timelines have been connected for the past ten years with the two week difference." The detective's realization struck ad he practically dropped his water. "I get it now…that's why I was deteriorating so fast, it was around the same time you died, but in my last two weeks, that was when you were being remade to live in this world. But because I was alive when I entered your world…"

"You were just going to get killed off." Sabo clarified, nodding. "Again…I don't really get all this myself, but it's nice to have some sort of grasp, right?"

"Agreed." Conan sighed. "I'll investigate the specifics of this all later. Right now…" Conan took in a breath of fresh air; savoring it. "I'm just glad to be home."

"Ah. I understand the feeling." The older nodded. "By the way…how did you get captured by the Black Organization, anyways?"

"I…" Conan grabbed his head as a flood of memories entered his brain, it all came back to him; the case that caused him to get caught. He gritted his teeth when he thought about how foolish he had been. "I was betrayed."

"Wanna talk about it?" Sabo asked.

"Basically, I figured out a pretty messed up murder; a murder victim's brother was basically framing her lover into thinking he had pushed her out of an elevator, when there weren't enough spots open. There was a fire in the building, and only seven people could fit in the elevator, this woman appeared to have stepped out voluntarily, but it was really her brother that manipulated her into killing herself in the fire. I teamed up with another Black Organization member named, 'Irish', we cornered that bastard and caught him." Conan gritted his teeth. "But then Gin-sna, Vdoka-san, Korn-san, and Chianti-san appeared in a helicopter and started shooting at us; Irish-san threw the both of us off the roof, and we landed on a fire escape. I hit my head on the way down and passed out; the next thing I know, I'm on a ship to Marineford."

"Do you think Irish-san is dead?" Sabo asked.

"Probably. That fall we took was pretty nasty." Conan shrugged. "Gin must've picked me up after that, but…I find it hard to believe that he wouldn't just kill me. I think Irish-san just handed me over to their boss, and I was sent through it. Gin-san would've been sent through as punishment, and also because he'd most likely be considered a liability at this point. I remember Irish-san saying that he wanted Gin-san punished, due to what happened between him and Pisco-san. Gin-san had murdered Pisco-san, and Irish-san was a friend out for revenge essentially. "

"I see." Sabo sighed.

"Anyways…if what you say is correct, then…that means neither universe will be affected anymore which means…if there had been any chance of you getting home, then I destroyed it." Conan looked downcast. "I'm sorry, Sabo-san."

"It's fine. I wasn't expecting to get back anyways." Sabo waved him off. "This world's a bit boring compared to mine, but…it's not half-bad living here. And if you still want to investigate this…then I'd be happy to assist you."

"Sabo-san…can you actually communicate with them? Ace-san or Luffy-san?" Conan asked.

"No, but…I can watch them." Sabo smiled. "And I watched you save Ace from becoming an execution victim, thanks."

"Iya...thanks for helping me." Conan nodded, but then frowned. "Odds are…Gin-san is most likely alive, and Irish-san betrayed me."

"What do you plan to do now?" Sabo frowned.

"…That depends…Sabo-san…do you know if Luffy-san and the others consider me their nakama still? Despite all that's happened?" The detective asked hesitantly.

"If Luffy didn't consider you his nakama, I guarantee he wouldn't have gone through as much trouble as he did to save you; sure he helps people who need it but…he only cares for his crewmates the way he cares about you. You're part of the Strawhat crew, Kudo-kun; whether you like it or not." Sabo smiled.

"In that case…I'll definitely stop them." Conan's mouth formed a small smile. "If there was anything that experience taught me, it was what my limits truly were, what I was willing to do to survive, and more than anything…what it truly means to fight. I know this is bad but…I can understand now why some people kill…if it's to protect someone else, I can see why now. I've never need to feel it, I've never had to feel it because of Rachel's strength, Lupin, Kaito, and Heiji watching me back, and Agasa's gadgets. I've never been put a in a place where law and order don't matter, and you can literally only protect someone with your life. In that situation, it's truly either kill or be killed. As I said, I know it's bad, but…I've been forced to quantify human life, and that was something I swore I'd never do. Especially when I became a detective!" Sabo didn't say anything, he knew the detective was crying by now. "I can stop those bastards now, because now I know how they think! I've become just like them!"

SLAP! Conan was stunned when he felt the impact on his face. It tingled slightly as the burn went away. The blonde was frowning at him pointedly. "If you're finished, I'll say something now. You're nothing like the Black Organization members; you figured out a dimension of the human psyche that you hadn't experienced before, and it's overwhelming you. Understanding how your enemy thinks isn't bad, if anything, it gives you an edge over them. Now…I support you stopping the Black Organization…but you're a member of the Strawhat crew now; you're captain is against killing, and believes in peaceful resolution. Your captain is my brother, and if you soil his or his crew's name, I'll kill you. Is that clear?"

A strong wind rushed the both of them, blowing against their hair. After a moment, Conan nodded, and gave a resolved stare. "Understood; when I defeat the Black Organization, it'll be on my terms and with my own power. It's just…I was scared Sabo-san…that was the first time since I became a detective that I truly…didn't think I'd escape."

The blonde's gaze softened. "I know…it must've been terrifying for you, you must've been pushed to your absolute limit in your body and intelligence…I don't know your life Kudo-kun but I think it's safe to say that you accomplished your greatest mystery yet…"

"Ah…" Conan nodded but then smirked confidently. "But as a member of the Strawhat crew I can't settle on for now, I have to be the world's greatest detective ever! That's my dream, and I'd be insulting Luffy-san if I settled for anything less."

Sabo gave his own smirk. "Now that's the talk of a Strawhat pirate!"

Conan smiled. "I'll never see them again though, will I?"

"Probably not; with the passage closed, most definitely not, actually." The blonde answered sadly. "Do you plan on working on a way to contact them?"

"Hell no, that's what got me into that mess." Conan replied bluntly. "But…I would like to say one final goodbye; I wasn't able to answer Luffy-san when he gave his farewell."

"Ah! I was waiting for you to say that!" Sabo grinned and pulled something out of his pocket; Conan's eyes widened. A Den Den Mushi! In this world.

"How'd you-"

"Roger-san took the liberty of grabbing one. It's only good once though, so I thought I'd save it for the both of us. I want to give my final goodbye as well." Sabo grinned. "As a sacrifice, Roger-san couldn't appear to me anymore but…he left me with this opportunity, so I can't be sad."

"Roger-san was indeed a good man." Conan smiled serenely.

"Ah. But before we do this…what are you gonna tell your party when they get here?" Sabo asked.

"I…I was missing for two weeks, right?" Conan asked. Sabo nodded. "Okay…I'll need you to back me up on this but…I ended up in Okinawa with amnesia. And-"

"What happened to telling the truth?" Sabo pointed out.

"Do you really think they'll believe me about this?" Conan asked.

"Okay, maybe not…but what about the Black Organization? You going to start being honest about that?" The blonde frowned.

At this, Conan looked away, slightly ashamed. "…I've gotten so used to lying to everyone at this point, that I think I forgot how to tell the truth. But thanks to everything that's happened…I learned that I', brave enough to speak the truth, and strong enough to take the consequences. I…won't be able to say everything all at once, and I have to give Ai and Agasa, as well as Heiji, plenty of warning about my intentions but…I can handle it now. And I'm positive everyone ele can handle the truth now too."

"So you'll tell the truth eventually then?" Sabo nodded. "Great!"

"Until then…I'll just make something up when they get here." Conan shrugged. "One more thing though Sabo-san…"

"What?"

"If…I were to agree to help you get back…would you do it?" Conan asked hesitantly.

"No." Sabo's answer was immediate, which surprised the detective. "I miss everyone, I miss my world, but…I'm fine with this world, because…I'm happy here. And that's what it all comes down to Kudo, the freedom to live, which equates to living happy."

"The freedom of happiness, huh?" Conan thought about it; so that's what the pirates in that world pursued. "That actually…makes a lot of sense."

"Doesn't it?" Sabo laughed. "Also…did you find out where One Piece was?"

At this Conan grew solemn and looked at his surroundings; spotting a yellow flower, he walked over to pick it. The older blonde watched the detective in idle curiosity, and it increased when Conan handed him the flower. "It would've been impossible to visit her grave but…I don't think Rouge-san would appreciate me disturbing her for such a reason."

Sabo couldn't hide the stunned expression on his face; the detective had indeed figured it out, but he had no intention of dishonoring Roger's dream. Standing up, Sabo walked out towards the beach, signaling Conan to follow him. "In our world, we placed flowers out on the beach and let them wash into the ocean; it was our way of mourning the dead and giving our respects. Care to join me for the honors of Roger-san and Rouge-san?"

"I'd be honored." Conan nodded and followed. After piking his own flower, Sabo walked down to the beach with Conan and carefully placed his own, red flower in the water. Conan immediately mimicked, and got into the same prayer stance as Sabo. After a few minutes, both got out of the stance and Sabo readied the Den Den Mushi.

"Ready?" Sabo grinned. Conan nodded eagerly. "Okay then…" After a moment, the snail came to life, and Sabo spoke. _"Who ever hears this, I'll ask you to record this on a tone dial, and give this to either Fire Fist Ace or Strawhat Luffy, for this message is for them. Yo! Ace! Luffy! I know it's been a while,but I'm glad to be able to give this message to you. To make a long story short, I'm actually in Conan's world, and I'll be helping him achieve his dream from here, so don't worry about him. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry I tried to start without you guys, and that I…never meant to hurt either of you. The two of you were the greatest brother any one could ask for, and I hope one day…we'll be able to meet again. Furthermore, I want the two of you to remember the promise you made with me, and that I'll kick your asses if you two dare break it. No matter what happens in the end…we're brothers…no matter what. Well, that's all I've got, so this is my last goodbye to you…have nice life, Ace and Luffy!"_

Sabo had a string of tears running down his face, when he handed the snail to Conan. Taking in a breath, Conan spoke. _"Hey guys…I'm not sure of all the details myself, but Sabo-san did indeed end up in my world, and he found me. He apparently entered here after he died…I'm sorry that Ace-san and Luffy-san went through that, I promise I'll listen to Sabo-san. There are many things that I want to say but…the main ones are: goodbye and thank you. I know I was a huge burden on everyone I met, I couldn't fight and didn't have a devil fruit, but you guys stayed by me and helped me, especially you, Luffy-san. Despite the deceit, you still considered me your crewmate, and I know it doesn't seem like it but…you have no idea how much that means to me. Regardless if I'm Jimmy or Conan, I'll always be a member of the Strawhat crew; thank you for that. But in saying that, I also wanted to let you know that your words got me, Luffy-san…and I promise…I'll not only become the world's greatest detective, but I'll become the greatest detective ever! I'll kick the Black Organization's ass, and I promise…I won't let my world threaten yours again. Sabo-san and I probably won't ever see you guys again, but…know that we'll always be thinking of you. So this good bye and a promise. I'll become the greatest detective ever in not only my name, but in the name of the Strawhat crew! Live free Luffy-san…no dying before or after you become the Pirate king. Otherwise, I'll come back to your world and kick your ass. Later Luffy-san…may we meet again some day."_ Conan hung up the snail, and the creature retracted back into his shell, and strangely turned into a fossil. Conan noted the droplet marks on the sand, and idly wondered if it was raining, but then he realized…those were his own tears. He rubbed his eyes and looked at Sabo. "Think they heard it?"

"Knowing Roger-san, most definitely." Sabo smiled. "Ah! They're here!" The blonde pointed to an expensive-looking yacht coming towards them. "What are you going to tell them?"

"In a minute Sabo-san…" Conan had his hands in his pocket and was allowing the cool ocean breeze engulf him. "I've been rushed around for a month…let me enjoy a quiet moment." Sabo grinned and followed suit, inhaling the beautiful ocean-scent. Both agreed that the ocean had never smelled sweeter.

**Review Please! For anyone who is going to complain how I handled the ending, I really had my heart set on this, so if anyone wants to complain, they can, but I'm not changing the chapter. I also want to clarify that Conan was sent to One Piece during the 12th Case Closed Movie: 'Raven Chaser', because I just thought it fit logically. And finally...please check out my new crossover that's coming out next week! It's One Piece x Gintama! It'll be hilarious, even if you don't know the Gintama series! Thank you so much again everyone! PM or review me!  
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	48. ANNOUNCEMENT: PLEASE READ!

**ANNOUNCEMENT:**

**Due to EXTREME POPULAR DEMAND, and a little bit of inspiration, I've decided to write a sequel to this fic.**

**Originally, I didn't plan to; it was glorious piece of writing and was very proud of m accomplishment, so I ended it ambiguously to leave it up to my readers to imagine their own end to how Conan handled his situation.**

**However, after becoming addicted to the 'Justice League', I have been inspired to write a new story. I was like, 'yeah, that would be cool'. **

**Before you guys ask, no- Conan is not getting a devil fruit or superpowers, I was just inspired by one of the 'Justice League's storylines. Up to you to guess which one.**

**But anyways, this inspiration also came from watching two of the most recent Case Closed movies, and I thought to myself 'huh, this character is never pushed far enough to actually evolve or change'.**

**This observation is competely subjective and everyone is free to disagree with me, but regardless, my interpretation helped my inspiration.**

**Things to look forward to in the fic: the entire Black Organization will be the antagonists obviously, all of the Case Closed gang will be involved in the plot somehow (Serena's family and Rachel's mom will actually have significant roles) Conan is suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), and Sabo will be apart of the plot. Also cameo appearances of Lupin and his crew. At this point, I haven't decided whether or not I'm going to include Kaito Kid.**

**So yeah, pretty cool huh?**

**Feel free to review or private message this! I'm open for ideas and requests, and am willing to answer questions. Later!**

**PS**

**For me to post this faster, check out my recent crossover of Gintama and One Piece; the more reviews I get, the faster I'll publish. I'm not publishing this story until my current crossover is complete, so leave reviews if you want to see this story soon.**


	49. BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT!

**Hey guys,**

I am done with finals and college, so to commemorate, I'll announce this: I finally wrote my book! I am very excited for this, and as promised I will make this announcement and start updating my stories again! Thank you for your patience and support, I feel very loved! Let me know if you guys have any questions for me or the book! Unfortunately, I can't post the exact links on fanfiction, so please checkout my Facebook page, you'll find them there.

**Synopsis of 'The Bloody Hellion':**

On December 21 2012, a third of the world was obliterated by the fated disaster of Revelations. Fifteen years later, the Vatican has taken power, forming a world government called the Holy Trinity Alliance. The Vatican has reestablished the world, but few are aware of the terrible price behind this golden age. Andrew Ridgewalk, a 25 year old conscript in Trinity's Naval division, is quite excited for his new role. At the graduation ceremony, he and his friend Isodor, with the rest of their fellow graduates are introduced to Aboriginal, 'The Bloody Hellion'. By draining all of the blood out of her body, Aboriginal transforms into a creature of unparalleled insanity. After four months of service, Ridgewalk comes to realize that he and Isodor are at the center of a conspiracy. With their backs against the wall, they get help from the only ally they can trust: Aboriginal.

So please search for: **'The Bloody Hellion, Addonexus series: Book 1', by Amanda Antell**, in the Barnes & Noble website, Amazon (ebook available here), and xlibris (the publishing company website).

Thanks again for all the support! And I will go back to updating my stories weekly from now!


	50. ANNOUNCEMENT OF SEQUEL RELEASE!

**Hey guys! **

**So originally I was going to start publishing the Case ClosedxOne Piece Crossover sequel this week, but I got super sick and was bedridden up until today. Seriously...I slept for over 72hrs, and have not had the strength to write anything serious. So I wasn't able to write the first chapter sadly.**

**BUT!**

**I bring good news! I will now officially announce the sequel's release date! It will be released the night of March 30, 2013, so be prepared!**

**To remind everyone, the sequel will be taking place in the Case Closed universe and will involve almost all of the main cast, and will even have Lupin III guest star. **

**For anymore information or spoilers please leave it in the review or PM me! I look forward to seeing everyone again next week! Thank you so much for your patience!**


	51. SEQUEL IS OUT!

**THE SEQUEL IS OUT! GO READ IT!**

**LOVE,**

**THE BLADE OF HELLFIRE**


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